


Envy Had Forgotten

by Sevv7



Series: Envy Had Forgotten (Canon Derivative AU) [3]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Angst, Other, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slow Romance, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-11
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-04-21 14:24:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,285
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14286846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sevv7/pseuds/Sevv7
Summary: Envy had spent a lot of time with Kimblee during the Ishvalan war, but at the end it had become strained. Envy had never felt anything but disdain for humans, but this one was different. Envy had been almost relieved when he had been sent to prison. 5 years later and he was being released, Envy looked forward to continuing their work together. But Envy had forgotten...





	1. Envy Had Forgotten

_Thud. Thud. Thud._

Slender fingers drummed against the steering wheel making a noise disproportionate to their size. Envy felt uncharacteristically… off balance? They scowled. They had forgotten how difficult it had been, near the end, being around him. At the start he had been a mere interest, a play thing. But the longer they spent together, the deeper the fascination ran.

Envy's scowl darkened. Fascination with a human made them feel sick. Still, that was a long time ago, and Envy's hands had been washed clean with the blood of hundreds of innocent lives. The thought was calming.

Envy smirked as they leaned back in the seat. _May as well get comfortable_ , they thought. After all, the man they were waiting for had a fair amount of getting ready to do. He had been in prison for five years, after all.

XXX

Kimblee adjusted his tie for the fourth time and smoothed down the two strands of hair which insisted on flopping forward onto his face. He smiled at the mirror; it was a small smile, but it reached his eyes. He wondered again what was special about today. After five years of being left to rot, something was going on out there in the world which meant that he was needed. It was an exciting prospect, and Kimblee was flush with anticipation.

He slipped his overcoat on top of his crisp white suit and schooled his expression into one of uninterested neutrality. It wouldn't do to give away his feelings to any of the guards. Kimblee doubted they could reverse his release orders, but it never hurt to be in control.

After one final glance in the mirror to admire his new look, Kimblee stepped out into the hall.

XXX

Seeing the sun and the sky as a free man was intoxicating. Kimblee knew his joke with the fake bomb was unbefitting of a gentleman in society, but after being isolated from the outside world for years, his facade was bound to have cracks. No matter— he was sure things would be back to normal soon. And speaking of which, a familiar figure was sitting in the driver's seat of the car idling just outside the gates. _My ride_ , Kimblee presumed.

XXX

"What kept you, Crimson?" Envy asked lightly as their passenger slid into the back seat.

"I apologise. It's been awhile since I was allowed to dress in anything other than orange." Kimblee replied, his tone just as light.

Envy smiled gleefully, "Do you like what I chose for you?"

"Oh, this was you?" Kimblee plucked at the crisp white distastefully, "It's a bit… much."

Envy's expression soured.

"I suppose it's better than _military blue_." Kimblee's expression twisted uglily as he said the words.

"Hah hah hah. You mean you didn't miss being a dog of the military? No matter—you will be a good pet for us. It's their loss, really."

"Pet?" Kimblee's eyebrows raised.

Envy waved a hand derisively. It was annoying to be questioned by a human as if they were equals. For all intents and purposes Kimblee was nothing more than a weapon to be deployed, but maybe it wasn't the correct way to handle him.

"No, of course not Crimson," Envy looked over their shoulder and smiled sweetly. "Anyway, we have something for you…"

"Yes, I assumed there was a reason for my release. Am I to assume this was your doing?"

"No actually. The order came from Wrath himself. Sorry… _Fuhrer King Bradley._ " Envy pulled a face as they always did when using Wrath's human name. It reminded them of the sacrifices they and their siblings had had to make for the sake of the cause. Leading a life pretending to be human… it made them shudder.

"We needed some extra help."

"I see, so you've got a job for me then?"

"We need you to track someone down."

"Who?"

"Do you remember Doctor Marcoh?" Envy watched Kimblee nod in affirmation. "He… he escaped." Envy practically spat the words out, still bitter over their failure to keep their captive. Kimblee's amused expression did little to help.

"We've heard reports that he's travelling with an Ishvalan named Scar. I thought you would like to do the honours and make him go away. Boom." Envy clapped their hands with delight.

"An Ishvalan? Hmm…" Kimblee's tone was contemplative. "You're right. It's inexcusable that my symphony of destruction is incomplete." Envy noticed Kimblee's smile in the rear view mirror. It was so dark and full of malice. Envy had missed it more than they cared to admit. Kimblee's mouth opened to reveal a glinting red shard perched on his tongue.

"I can finally use this again," he said, holding the stone between his finger and thumb. "Good job I kept this around."

"Yes, I heard about that. You know if you'd handed it back you wouldn't have needed to kill all those people?"

Kimblee shrugged, "They weren't hard to kill."

"No," Envy agreed, "but it would have saved you from all those years rotting in there." They gestured vaguely in the direction of the prison.

Kimblee frowned. He was hard for Envy to read and that made them uncomfortable. It was difficult to know they were in control of a situation if they didn't know what the other party was thinking. Envy had forgotten...

Envy reached into the pouch stowed on the seat next to him and withdrew a small, perfectly spherical, red stone.

"Anyway, that might not be enough this time… time to upgrade!" They held it up for Kimblee to see. He gasped. Envy had elicited a reaction and their grin showed teeth.

For once Kimblee was too distracted to keep his mask in place. Envy enjoyed watching him in the mirror as his eyes darkened and his smile grew jubilant. He was an interesting one, this human. His fascination of destruction and chaos was not far off the homunculi, he was unlike any other human Envy had encountered.

They curled their lip. It was happening again.

"Did you use Ishvalans again?" Kimblee asked almost reverently.

"Wrong! Guess again."

"Doctor Marcoh's subordinates?" Kimblee guessed. Envy gave a satisfied nod. "You really are cruel," he murmured. Envy grinned again but suppressed it quickly; they did not need validation from a human. Time to change the subject.

"Wrath has quarters for you, and a team. For the investigation."

Kimblee nodded, eyes still on the stone he now held.

"Are you listening to me?" Envy asked, their tone growing dangerous. They enjoyed watching Kimblee's head snap up, fleeting emotions skittered across his face before his cool smile reasserted itself. They had unnerved him. Envy felt satisfied.

"Of course," Kimblee murmured.

"Good. I'll take you to him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Massive thanks to 64K for beta’ing these for me and teaching me how to use semi-colons (no but seriously I used one in a work email today and felt so fancy!) (oh also in this chapter any semi-colons are courtesy of her!) I’m really glad I met you :D  
> Also I'll put the same disclaimer on this as I did when I posted it on ff; (;!) when I wrote this a few weeks ago I literally hadn't written anything for c.7 years, so apologies if it's not the best... I think I'm getting better in later chapters though. Thanks for stopping by!  
> 


	2. Kimblee Heads North

Kimblee was silent for the remainder of the journey. He could barely take his eyes off of the new Philosopher's Stone Envy had given to him. It was so exquisite in its perfection. Kimblee wasn't surprised that such an object would be the result of so many glorious deaths. Adrenaline coursed through him at the thought of the artistry he could create with the stone. He had long relied on his memories of the war (read: massacre) in Ishval to carry him through the dark nights in prison, and the thought of creating new memories, of being given a second chance to perfect his craft, was almost more than he had dared to hope for.

The car pulled to a stop. Kimblee glanced once at Envy, now in the disguise of a military soldier, before exiting the vehicle.

"Have fun!" Envy called behind him.

Kimblee smiled. He didn't have _fun_ , but certainly there was a large amount of enjoyment to be gained here.

XXX

The quarters assigned to him were similar to those he was given when he first became a State Alchemist, but larger and rather more opulent. Kimblee sank into a deep plush sofa and exhaled. Today had not been… usual. Usually at this time of day, a guard would roughly uncuff Kimblee from the block of wood required to keep his transmutation circles apart, and force him to eat whatever horror had come out of the kitchens.

Kimblee steepled his fingers, bringing the circles on his palms within centimetres. Oh, how he longed to close the gap. He had been unable to use his alchemy during his time in prison; he had been denied his one true passion. His fingers curled inwards into fists. He wasn't angry, Kimblee was rarely angry, this was closer to annoyed, but it was still a feeling stronger than he was used to.

Kimblee shook his head and stood up. He needed to pull himself together if he was to perform the tasks asked of him. Walking through the halls of Central Command had been intoxicating. The fear he heard in the voices of those he passed ( _'Is that…?' 'Hey isn't that…?' 'Didn't he used to be…?'_ ) was amusing to say the least. But now was the time for seriousness. Kimblee moved over to the polished desk and laid out the map squarely in the centre. Scar couldn't hide for long.

XXX

Kimblee idly wondered why Envy had chosen to release him. He wasn't fooled for one moment by Envy's excuse that it was Wrath's decision. Wrath had a whole army of state alchemists at his command. Kimblee was worth five of them (when it came to destruction), ten, possibly, if the Philosopher's Stone was factored in, but Wrath still had more than enough to perform this task. No, this decision had definitely been made by Envy.

Kimblee sat in his new office, listening to the drone of his new team as they filtered through various reports of sightings. He had a fair expectation of where his missing Ishvalan was currently, but with no idea of where he was headed it was proving difficult to find a strategic place for their paths to intersect.

"They say this guy's going to kill Scar and capture the other one all by himself."

"Why?! Don't they trust any of us to handle this situation?"

Kimblee rolled his eyes. Did these men not know who he was? He supposed he hadn't been around for a while. Time to make an impression.

"We're going North," he announced coldly.

"North?"

"Did he just say North?"

"What?!"

Chatter sprung up all around the room. It was irritating, and Kimblee was not used to being questioned. He brought a fist down onto the desk he was lounging at and stood up.

"We are going North," he began again in a dangerous tone, "because Scar was last sighted heading in that direction. I would like to at least be in the general vicinity for when one of you idiots finally gives me some accurate information."

He let his gaze touch each soldier in the room and enjoyed them visibly shrinking back from him, all except for one soldier who stood in the doorway. Kimblee didn't recognise the face, which was unusual given his photographic memory, but the evil smirk was enough of a sign to give away their real identity.

 _So, Envy is still checking up on me_. Kimblee was both irritated and flattered at the same time.

Kimblee tore his gaze away and fought to regain control of his calm demeanour.

"If anyone feels the need to question me, please, go ahead." He spread his hands in a gesture of openness. The room remained frosty for a few moments as the soldiers averted their eyes from him. Envy opened their mouth and closed it again.

Then one of the soldiers coughed, "No, Sir!" He spluttered.

He was echoed by the rest of the room and the silence was broken. Kimblee smiled internally, enjoying the fear. It was almost as if he had never been away.

A crash sounded by the doorway, and Kimblee saw Envy turn heel and storm out.

"Someone please clean that up," he said, sitting back down and gesturing to the lamp Envy had knocked over.

 _I wonder what they were going to say_ , Kimblee thought to himself. Was it possible Envy disapproved of his decision to move his base of operations? But that would make no sense; in every sense, Kimblee's decision was the most logical next step in pursuing his quarry. How could Envy disagree?

XXX

Red sparks crackled over Envy's body as they reverted back to their preferred form. Their fists were clenched but they couldn't explain why Kimblee had made them so angry. Envy kicked the wall in frustration.

"Owwwwwww!" They screeched.

More red sparks appeared round their foot to heal the broken toes as Envy breathed deeply against the pain. They had made a satisfying dent on the wall, but were still no closer to understanding the sudden outburst.

Surely Envy didn't care if Kimblee moved up North. It was, after all, the step Envy themself would take if it were their investigation. No, Envy reasoned; maybe it was because they didn't like Kimblee making decisions without them. After all, he had been released only due to Envy's request, so technically he was their property. Yes, that made sense. Envy had called in a lot of favours from Wrath to get Kimblee back in the field, so it was logical that they would want to ensure he was being deployed appropriately.

Satisfied, Envy shifted back into the soldier disguise they wore around the command centre and began walking. Wrath had asked for a meeting, and he didn't like to be kept waiting.

XXX

Kimblee span his hat lazily round one finger as he walked back over the grounds from the main command centre to his private quarters that evening. Today had been good. Real progress had been made on the Scar case, and Kimblee was filled with bloodlust whenever he thought of the Ishvalan. _Doctor Marcoh mustn't be forgotten_ , Kimblee reminded himself. It was easy for the 'capture and return' part of the mission to be forgotten, but he had been a soldier for as long as he could remember, and following orders was important.

Kimblee snorted softly. _Were orders important when you murdered all those officials to keep the stone?_ he asked himself. He supposed that it depended on who the orders came from. Kimblee had very little respect for the military officials; they were greedy, and they were cowards, and not one understood the artistry of his work. Envy was different, however; Envy understood the beauty of his talents, they always had. Kimblee had always enjoyed working with them.

Wistfully, Kimblee thought back to their partnership during the war. Envy was never far away from the action, and delighted in hearing of Kimblee's exploits as the rest of the soldiers turned in for the night and the fires burned low. Kimblee could recall clearly the look in Envy's eyes, intense as they reflected the embers from the fire, as they listened in silence to his description of a particularly effective explosion which had brought down a whole street. Envy understood, had always understood, the allure of destruction. That was why they had worked so well together.

As Kimblee approached the door, he knew something was wrong. The door was closed, but not locked, and the handle was dented and bent out of shape. Kimblee placed his hat back atop his head, and readied his hands for alchemy as he nudged it open.

"What the hell, Crimson!" a familiar voice shrieked as they shot out of a chair moments before Kimblee's explosive alchemy reduced it to a hundred pieces of lethal shrapnel.

"Oh, it's you." Kimblee said redundantly.

"Of course it's me!" Envy yelled in anger as they examined the damage done by the chair. It wasn't bad, for a homunculus, and in seconds the bloody wounds created by the chair were closed and gone.

"Sorry."

"You'd better be," Envy growled. "Don't think for one second that I couldn't put you right back in that hell hole if I wanted to."

Kimblee smiled as he noticed the slip. "So you admit it was you who got me released?"

"Stop smiling!" Envy snapped, and then, "Wait, WHAT? Didn't I already tell you it was Wrath who released you? Has your time locked up melted your tiny pathetic brain?"

Kimblee met their gaze, ice to match Envy's fire. "Fine, have it your way," he muttered, and then, more loudly, "I apologise, it must have slipped my mind." Kimblee had always found Envy incredibly easy to read when they were angry. Anger meant he had touched a nerve, and such information was always useful.

Envy's eyes softened and they sat back down in a different chair. "Anyway, I just came to say goodbye. I heard you were heading North…?"

"Hmm? Ah yes, I noticed you called in earlier. Did you have something to say?"

Envy spluttered a bit and their face flashed through several expressions ranging from surprise and confusion through anger and finally back to their trademark smirk. Kimblee realised they hadn't expected to be recognised.

"No," they said finally. "Just… we've heard reports about what Scar has done, and he is a real piece of work… so... be careful." It was Kimblee's turn to be surprised. Envy sounded almost as if they genuinely cared.

"I'm sure he'll be no match for me. After all, nothing survives an explosion." Kimblee grinned.

"I mean if that were true then, I'd question why there's an Ishvalan left alive to be causing us this grief. You must have missed him first time around," Envy pointed out gleefully.

Kimblee found it hard to be irritated. Talking with Envy about his work felt almost like old times.

"Oh, have I upset you?" Envy pouted, mistaking the silence for anger.

Kimblee shook his head and raised his eyebrows. "Not at all, I was just thinking about the war."

Envy's eyes lit up. "Do you remember that one day… " they began.

XXX

The next morning Kimblee packed up his quarters (it didn't take long; what with just being released from prison, Kimblee didn't have much in the way of possessions). He slung his long white coat over his arm and donned his hat. Kimblee was heading North.


	3. Envy was NOT Fine

Envy sighed and twirled a pen through their fingers. They were perched on the end of Wrath's desk with one foot flat on the desk, knee just under their chin, and the other hanging off the edge.

"Envy!" Wrath snapped from the doorway.

"What is it old man?" Envy sulked, not taking their eyes off the pen.

"What are you doing here? Don't you have work to do?"

Envy gave an exaggerated sigh and launched themselves off the desk with their characteristic agility. "Ugh, leave me alone."

Envy stomped past Wrath, wishing their bare feet would make a louder noise to emphasise the point. They stomped all the way down the corridor before assuming a disguise, and even in the skin of an unremarkable soldier, they still received a wide berth from the other soldiers in the command centre.

Envy hadn't wanted to see Wrath, but since Lust's murder, Envy—though they would never admit it—was often lonely. Lust had been the easiest of all their siblings for them to get along with; she was patient and always had time for Envy, no matter what manner of foul mood they were in. Now, instead of going to sit near Lust and slowly be drawn into a conversation by her, Envy spent a lot of time traipsing around trying to fill the gap they didn't even really realise she had left.

Still, one thing Envy could easily admit was that Wrath had lost all their respect after refusing to avenge Lust. Going to his office was a mistake, and Envy knew that if Father heard how they had just spoken to him there would be hell to pay.

Envy looked around, aware they had been walking without a purpose. It appeared they had somehow retraced the steps to Kimblee's old quarters. With a shrug Envy pushed the door open and curled themselves up on one of the plush chairs. Envy smiled wistfully, as they remembered the last time they had been here… with Kimblee. Now there was someone who understood.

_Ugh_. Disgust washed over Envy and wiped the smile off their face. Kimblee was nothing. Just a pathetic human. He was up North now anyway, not Envy's problem anymore. He was nothing.

XXX

Kimblee could taste blood in his mouth. The ache in his side was fading and he knew that was bad. He had slipped in and out of consciousness several times during the journey. Now the train had stopped and Kimblee didn't know why—they weren't in a station. A surge of adrenaline coursed through him as he heard voices round the corner.

"Hey, you! What happened?!"

"Hang in there!"

"What are you doing on this train."

Uncharacteristic anger built up inside Kimblee. "Who told you that you could stop this train?" he raged, grasping to pull one of the men in close.

He could see concern in the eyes of the men. That wasn't good. Maybe this was it…

"Yes.. that's right… death is coming." Kimblee could hear the mania in his own voice; it was unbecoming, but his grip on reality was fading.

"He who brings death sees death every day. It means nothing to me. Only work where I can risk my soul has any beauty. How glorious it is…" The corners of his vision were moving closer together, and black spots swam in front of his eyes.

_I guess I'm done…_

XXX

Envy was _not_ okay. They flung the phone across the room with such force that cracks appeared in the wall.

"Arhhhh!"

What was the solution to this? Rational thinking was not Envy's strength in times of emotion. Despite their intelligence, most of their bad decisions were a direct result of an emotion Envy was unable to process.

_Do I need to go up there?_ Envy wondered. Kimblee was their responsibility, after all. The image of Wrath's mocking laugh if they had to admit their pet human had failed was haunting. Envy clawed at their face as if they could somehow tear out the internal debate.

There was no other choice. They would have to travel North to see this situation right.

XXX

By the time Envy arrived outside the hospital, they were feeling very ill tempered. The chill in the air penetrated through the swathes of thick fabric wrapped around their slender frame, and Envy was sure they would never feel warm again. To make matters worse, they knew it was time to shed the not-warm-but-far-less-cold layers to assume a disguise to get inside.

Envy's scowl was etched onto their face as the flickers of red winked out, leaving a middle aged woman in their wake. Envy hated being old. Every fibre of their being craved to be young and cute, and every time they had to assume a disguise such as this, it filled them with an irrational fear that people would see them like this (which, of course, they would).

Shaking snow off their newly created military uniform, Envy stepped inside and purposefully strode past the main entry desk.

"Um, excuse me Ma'am, can I help?" a voice called behind them. Envy gritted their teeth and ignored the unintended slight.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't want to bother you. I already know where I'm going. I'm with the military." Envy gestured toward the corridor heavily guarded by military soldiers. Fawning to these humans made their blood boil, but Envy was in character, and merely smiled sweetly.

"Ah okay. He's… uh. That is to say, I'm not sure he should be receiving visitors right now, respectfully, Ma'am."

Envy inhaled slowly. "Well this can't wait. A soldier can't always chose to receive orders when it's convenient." Envy tapped the stars on their shoulder indicating their superior rank, and began walking again. The woman's protestations faded out of earshot and when no footsteps followed, Envy assumed the issue was resolved.

XXX

Envy was feeling apprehensive as they approached the door to the private hospital room. The extent of Kimblee's wounds hadn't been fully explained, but the overall impression they had given Envy on the phone was that it did not look good.

"Sir!" A soldier called, stepping aside and holding the door open for Envy.

The door swung shut behind them. The inside of the room was dark and quiet but for a faint hum of machines. The stench of death and blood hung heavy in the air.

"Kimblee," Envy hissed.

The alchemist stirred and gave a slight moan, but otherwise made no sign to show he had heard.

Envy reverted back to their preferred form with a crackle of red.

"Kimblee." They tried again in a more familiar voice.

There was no response.

Envy stood back, hands on their hips, to survey the damage. Kimblee's pale skin was now paper white, sweat was beaded on his forehead and the shadows under his eyes looked more like bruises. It made Envy uncomfortable to look at.

A feeling sparked in the pit of Envy's stomach. They felt sort of sick, but not the usual sick-with-disgust feeling.

Envy perched on the edge of the bed and toyed with the wires which were keeping Kimblee alive. One swift pull, and Kimblee's lifeline would be destroyed.

He was so… fragile.

It was almost peaceful, sitting here in the dark listening to Kimblee's slow breathing. Envy laid a hand over his chest unsurely, taking comfort in the rhythmic beating. They supposed they should stay until he woke up, and he would wake up. If he didn't, Envy would kill him themself.

Envy curled up on the corner of the bed with one hand still resting lightly on Kimblee's chest. It had been a long time since they had been so calm. They didn't even realise their eyes had started to close.

XXX

Sometime in the hours before dawn Kimblee became aware that he was not alone, there was a pressure on his chest which had not been there before. His eyes flickered open. _A hand?_ Kimblee turned his head slowly and saw a mass of black hair atop a small figure nestled next to him.

_Is that… ? Envy?_

Kimblee found he wasn't as surprised as he should be, but he didn't have the energy right now to understand what that meant.

XXX

Sunlight was just beginning to spill into the room when Envy awoke. They blinked a few times before leaping up off the bed with wild eyes.

Kimblee was still unconscious. _Good_ , Envy thought. There was no way they could explain this to him. What had they been thinking?

Envy was in such a rush to leave they barely remembered to assume the disguise they had worn on entering. They hurtled back through the hospital as quickly as possible without drawing attention to themselves and didn't stop until they were safely outside.

Leaning against a wall, Envy paused to catch their breath. It was snowing again, but they were too consumed by other emotions to even feel it.

Nothing about the situation was okay. Envy wondered if they should go back inside and just finish what Scar had started. They couldn't afford distractions, and whatever last night had been, it was definitely a distraction.

Envy shook themselves. No. It was only a distraction if they let it distract them. And that would only happen if it meant something. Which it didn't. So it was fine.

Envy thought of Lust. She would always tell them to take advantage of the calm—after all, her life had been even longer and more full of challenges than their own. ' _Envy, dear, you need to learn how to be still_ ,' she would say whenever they were impatient, or frustrated.

That's all they had been doing, making the most of a moment of calm.

_He_ meant nothing. Envy was fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N So not sure if this chapter made too much of a leap and I thought about re-writing parts of it but I decided to leave as is. After all it’s a Kimvy fic, so it’s got to have a few moments where they actually seem to like each other :3 … Hope you enjoyed it!


	4. Kimblee Play Games

It was the third day Kimblee had spent in the hospital, and slowly he could feel strength returning to his body. The pain of the wound, now cleaned and stitched, had been reduced to a dull throbbing as long as he remained still, which had been a challenge during the visit from Briggs soldier Major Miles.

Kimblee bristled as he thought back to Miles' thinly veiled threats, but more than anything he had found the whole encounter quite amusing. How the Briggs soldiers could hope to succeed in catching Scar when he had failed was quite beyond him. Kimblee was quite sure that Scar would still be waiting for him once he was recovered, and next time he would come better prepared to ensure the Ishvalan didn't walk away.

Envy hadn't been back since that first night. Kimblee wasn't even one hundred percent sure they had been here at all. It disturbed him that the memory might just have been a fever dream— why would he have had a dream like that about _Envy_ of all people? Nestled up next to him, vulnerable in a way he had never seen them, and likely never would.

Kimblee tried not to think about it, but unfortunately all he _could_ do was think. Injured like this, he could barely sit up unaided, never mind continue his hunt for Scar and Doctor Marcoh. He was useless in this state, useless and a liability. No wonder Envy hadn't visited; Kimblee couldn't help but feel like he currently embodied everything they hated about humans.

XXX

It had taken the best part of two days, and Envy had had to call in practically every favour they had ever been owed to pull this off, but Wrath had finally agreed to send the Doctor up north to them. It was irksome how Wrath, despite being the youngest of the homunculi, had far more power over the deployment of their resources than Envy did.

Envy wasn't exactly sure if this was the right decision. Kimblee had already failed once, they reasoned, and Envy was aware that if Kimblee failed again then it would be Envy who paid the price with Wrath and Father. But Kimblee had proven himself more than capable in the past, and that made him worth giving a second chance to.

Envy was uncomfortably uneasy at the prospect of seeing Kimblee again. _Maybe I'll just stay in disguise_ , they thought. There was really no need for him to see that they had come this far out of their way just for him.

XXX

"Sir, you have a visitor," one of Kimblee's men called from the doorway.

Kimblee sighed. Was Miles back already? What was it this time—did he seriously expect Kimblee's help in a case he had just stolen from him?

"Fine. Please show them in."

An unfamiliar soldier appeared in the doorway and Kimblee suppressed a frown. Had he been so out of it that he hadn't noticed someone new joining his team?

"Sir!" the soldier saluted before entering.

"Yes soldier?" inquired Kimblee politely.

"Sir, we have just received word that King Bradley is sending a new doctor to treat you. He says you should be back on your feet in no time." The soldier spoke in a toneless voice and was careful to make no eye contact, which wasn't particularly unusual for how people interacted with Kimblee. But Kimblee wasn't stupid, and he would be a fool not to at least suspect this soldier might not be exactly what they seemed.

"Thank you for the report. I apologise, but I can't recall your name, soldier?"

"Sir, my name is… uh… Ross. Second Lieutenant Ross."

"Is that so? I hear there's a Second Lieutenant Ross back in Central… a relation, perhaps?"

The soldier's eyes widened momentarily. It was enough for Kimblee.

"Yes Sir! She's my cousin, Sir."

"Hmm," was all Kimblee said. He couldn't understand why Envy was playing this game with him. From all the information he had gleaned on the homunculus, they were very conscious of their appearance, and the idea that they would stay disguised as a middle aged woman when it was wholly unnecessary seemed contradictory to that.

"If that is all… " Kimblee waved a dismissive hand. If Envy wanted to hide, then they were welcome to it. Kimblee had the crushing idea that maybe it was because they wanted to avoid talking to him about his failure. If he wasn't valuable to the cause, then he was just a hindrance. It stung nearly as much as the wound in his side had.

He was surprised to see the soldier hesitate."How are you feeling, Sir?" they asked.

Kimblee frowned, why were they doing this? "I expect I'll survive."

"What happened, if you don't mind my asking?" The soldier/ Envy pulled a chair from by the wall to closer to the bed and sat down. If it really had been a typical soldier, Kimblee would have been quite forceful in making them leave. But he was curious.

"I found Scar. He was… stronger than I anticipated."

"How could you let him do…" Envy surveyed Kimblee's damaged body, "... this? I thought you could defend yourself? He should have never gotten this close to you! Don't you _explode_ things?!" Envy's voice grew heated.

Kimblee raised an eyebrow.

"Sir," they added, as if just remembering to keep their disguise intact.

"Please don't question me, _soldier_." Kimblee said the word as if it was a slur, which for Envy it definitely was. He enjoyed watching their face as the balance of power shifted a fraction in his favour. If Envy wanted to pretend to be his subordinate then he could certainly play along.

Envy's eyes flashed dangerously as they stood up suddenly, knocking the chair back a few feet. "I'm leaving. There are other matters I need to see to," they announced.

"Okay, I look forward to seeing you again, when you are more… _yourself_." Kimblee smirked to let them know that he was fully aware for the situation.

"Sir!" Envy saluted again, then turned heel and fled.

XXX

For the second time in as many weeks, Kimblee was preparing himself to rejoin the outside world. The Doctor, accompanied by Lieutenant General Raven, had left immediately after finishing his work there. The healing process had been intense to say the least, but Kimblee had relished in the pain of his organs and flesh knitting back together under the guidance of the Alchemic Doctor. He felt invigorated and full of new determination.

He would not fail again, of that he was certain.

A thought ,which had occurred to Kimblee over and over for some time now, was of how important he was to the plan. Each time he thought he had answered the question, something new had happened to make him curious again.

Locked in prison for years on end, Kimblee had inevitably concluded that he had served his purpose. It had been disappointing to think that he was being treated as another stupid human. But then, quite without warning, he was released and tasked with hunting down Scar and Marcoh… leading him to think that just maybe he was useful after all.

And again, lying in the hospital bed, clinging to life by a thread, Kimblee had assumed that they were done with him. It made a lot of sense. Despite his sociopathic tendencies and superior intellect, physically he had all the failings of every other human. His mortality was painfully obvious, and there was no way he could believe that he would be given another opportunity.

But again he had been proven wrong. For some reason, Envy (he guessed) had been pulling strings in the background to ensure his recovery. It was… unexpected.

Kimblee flattened down the creases in his new white suit. Initially he had found the outfit quite distasteful, verging on ostentatious. But Envy had chosen it for him, and that made it somehow… special. Finding one so similar to the one ruined during his fight with Scar had not been easy for his soldiers, but Kimblee had insisted.

"I heard you were back on your feet." A familiar voice came from the doorway.

Envy was back?

Envy appeared, this time wearing no disguise.

"Correct," Kimblee answered warily. He was in no mood for their games now, and he had a job to do.

"I told Wrath not to bother. You clearly aren't the same Alchemist I knew in Ishval."

"Well, aren't you a delight today."

"I'm sorry, but it's the truth," Envy said with a toss of their head.

"It won't happen again."

"It'd better not." Envy fell silent.

"What are you even doing here?" Kimblee asked after a moment. He was curious to hear Envy's answer.

"Wrath sent me up with General Raven and the Doctor. Something about needing to keep an eye on you." Envy's grin was malicious.

"I'm not sure that's really necessary. Don't feel like you have to stay."

Envy shrugged.

"Suit yourself." They turned as if to leave.

"Wait—" Kimblee started.

"Hmm?" Envy's grin grew, they were enjoying this.

Kimblee searched for words to explain his outburst. Why had he told them to wait? His words were true; he had no need at all for Envy in this mission, but some part of him didn't want them to leave. It was a feeling Kimblee didn't recognise and it made him uncomfortable.

"It's just, I'm surprised you would go against a direct order from Wrath."

"Wrath doesn't control me!" Envy raged. "I make my own decisions!"

Envy seethed for a few moments, Kimblee enjoyed watching the fire behind their violet eyes.

"Fine," they said eventually. "I'll stay... for now. But only to make sure you actually do what I asked this time."

Kimblee nodded once, satisfied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N It really is a ‘take 1 step forward, 3 steps back’ kind of situation. Breaks my Kimvy heart! Envy just likes to be near him even though they can’t quite process why.  
> Also (because I realise it’s a little unclear) Envy was not disguised as Maria Ross (I’m aware she is not middle aged!) they just stole her name in panic.  
> Again, if it isn’t clear, I have a small headcanon that Envy chose Kimblee’s white suit. I mean he left prison in it… where did it come from? Surely that wasn’t what he was arrested in. Anyway so I decided maybe it was the sort of oddly dramatic outfit Envy might have picked out for him and even though he didn’t really like it to begin with he got sort of attached to it.


	5. Envy Explores Briggs

General Raven had been waiting for Kimblee outside the hospital. It had irked Envy somewhat that Kimblee had spent most of the journey to Briggs conversing with the General rather than with themself. What insights could the General offer that Envy was unable to?

Envy couldn't help but wonder if it was because of how awfully they had treated Kimblee in hospital. After the second visit, where Envy hadn't revealed their identity at all, they had been fully resolved that they would head back to Central to continue their work there. But, for some reason, they had been unable to leave him. The story about staying on Wrath's command was a lie of course. Envy wasn't happy about that—they shouldn't have to lie just to explain themself to a  _ human. _

Another, less rational, fear, which Envy refused to acknowledge even to themself (but which refused to stop bouncing around their head), was that Kimblee actually found General Raven more interesting to talk with.

Envy hung back while Kimblee and the General made pleasantries with the Briggs soldiers. They sulked behind the two of them as they were led through the corridors of the mountain fortress by a curious Ishvalan-looking soldier. Back at the hospital, Envy  _ thought  _ they had detected something in Kimblee's voice which wanted them to stay. Not that Envy would have stayed if Kimblee had asked…

"I'm gonna have to ask you to wait here while I escort the General to meet with General Armstrong," the soldier escorting them addressed Envy and Kimblee.

"Certainly." Kimblee smiled amicably. "Could we trouble you for coffee before you leave?"

Envy watched Kimblee sit down at the small table indicated by the soldier. He certainly seemed in good spirits.

"He came to visit me, you know, in the hospital," Kimblee said conversationally after the soldier had left.

"Who?"

"Major Miles."

"Who?" Envy repeated, sniffing the coffee cautiously.

"Miles… he was just here."

"Oh." Envy shrugged, "they all just blend into one after a while," they said disinterestedly.

"Who?" It was Kimblee's turn to ask.

"Humans, of course."

Envy noticed Kimblee purse his lips, but he chose not to comment, instead taking a long sip of the steaming drink.

"Not you," Envy said quickly, regretting it immediately.

Kimblee's face was annoyingly difficult to read.

Envy picked up their own mug and had a small taste of the bitter brown drink. "Ugh, how do you drink this stuff?" they complained.

"I don't know how you've lived for so long without learning to enjoy coffee," Kimblee said, clearly amused.

"It's vile, unnatural, a monstrosity!" Envy declared.

"It's a luxury.  _ You're  _ a monstrosity."

Envy's eyes flashed and they felt anger building. Gluttony had eaten the last person to call them a monster.

Kimblee tensed, and it was enough to make Envy pause—they were uncomfortably aware that they hadn't treated him very well over the past couple of days. "Hah," they said instead, "If I am, then so are you."

XXX

"You didn't tell me the Elric brothers would be here," Kimblee said as the brothers were led away.

"I didn't know." Envy said, guardedly.

"You sure were quiet around them."

"I've encountered them before. It wouldn't do to have them recognise me here."

Envy felt Kimblee's eyes on them. They weren't disguised very well, using mostly their preferred form, just with shorter hair and a military uniform. "Stop looking at me like that," they snapped.

"Like what?" Kimblee asked innocently.

"Like… like—" Envy threw up their hands in disgust. "Never mind. I'm going to call Wrath. He'll want to know the Fullmetal runt is here."

"Suit yourself. I'm staying with Miles. Something else is going on here, and I intend to find out what."

Envy paused, watching as Kimblee hurried off to catch up with Miles. It was almost as if nothing had changed between them, but it had, and since Kimblee's injury (and that night in the hospital which Envy refused to remember) it was getting more and more difficult for Envy to ignore. The feeling of unease they had around him was now the same intensity, if not worse, than it had been in Ishval. Envy, naively perhaps, had hoped to avoid this when they first secured Kimblee's release, but sure enough, it had crept back just like before. In truth, Envy wasn't sure if that feeling had ever really gone away.

As Kimblee and Miles disappeared around the corner, Envy shifted into a new form, mirroring one of the Briggs soldiers they had encountered earlier. It seemed like the soldiers in this place were on constant alert, so blending in would be crucial.

Finding the phones in this bleak fortress took Envy the best part of thirty minutes. After aimlessly wandering around a series of never ending corridors, quite by accident, Envy finally came across them.

They hopped up onto one of the small desks within a booth and wedged themselves in so their back was against one wall and their feet on the other. Speaking to Wrath again was not something Envy was looking forward to, given the last call had been to request help for a dying  _ human. _ But needs must.

Envy punched in the number for Wrath's personal line with a deliberate slowness, trying to release all their frustrations before he answered.

"Hello?" came Wrath's voice through a small crackle of static.

"It's me."

"Ah, Envy, what do you need my help with this time?" he sighed.

Envy fought back a response. "I have some information." they said instead, ignoring the implied insult.

"Really? Where are you? I thought you were headed back to Central after your little  _ problem  _ was taken care of?"

"I decided to stay to keep an eye on things up here," Envy said through gritted teeth, "and you'll be glad I did, because our precious sacrifices have somehow made their way all the way to Fort Briggs… weren't  _ you  _ supposed to be keeping track of them?"

"Hmm, I hadn't heard they were on the move. They should know better than that. There's a girl in Rush Valley they both seem rather fond of. I'll send her up to you. Use her."

"Use her for what?"

"Don't be dense Envy. Use her to get them to help with the blood crest."

"Don't call me dense!" Envy snarled.

"Goodbye, Envy." Wrath hung up the line, leaving Envy staring maliciously at the receiver.

XXX

The way back through the Fort took considerably less time now that Envy was fairly sure they had accidentally taken every possible wrong turn when trying to find the phones. By this time Envy expected Kimblee would have concluded his tour, and so headed straight for the small holding room where they had sat earlier.

A screech of metal sounded from a room adjacent to the corridor they were currently walking down, and Envy impulsively slid through an open door to investigate. Inside they found themself on a balcony overlooking a vast storage room. In the centre there was a large freshly dug pit which was being filled with concrete. There was no mistaking that the pit was Sloth's handiwork; it was surprising how much progress he had made since Envy had last heard news about him. But where was he now, Envy wondered.

A stern-looking blonde woman stood near to General Raven, and the metallic sound which Envy had heard from the hallway became obvious when they spotted the woman's sword was unsheathed and plunged up to the hilt in the General's wrist.

Envy thought about interfering but decided against it; General Raven was one of Wrath's men, and Envy had no loyalty to him. They remained on the balcony for long enough to see the woman, General Armstrong they presumed, free her weapon and slash again at Raven. At first, it seemed like she had missed, but within seconds he stumbled back with blood blossoming quickly over his chest. He lost his footing at the edge of the pit and fell backwards into the concrete. Envy strained to hear his dying words in the cavernous room.

"I wanted to be… immortal."

Envy couldn't help but chuckle. It was such a human desire. These creatures truly were pathetic.

XXX

"What do you want from me? An apology?... A bribe?... No, you clearly wouldn't be appeased by something so trivial." Envy could hear Kimblee's voice before they saw him. He was speaking in his usual cool tones, but sounded genuinely confused. "Ah. Perhaps you'd like to know how your kinsmen died?" His voice now sounded exultant.

"Be quiet, Kimblee," came Miles' voice.

"Because, if that's the case, then I can tell you every. Last. Detail."

"I said shut up!"

Envy appeared just in time to see Miles lunge forward and Kimblee sidestep smoothly, one hand flying to his hat to keep it in place. Miles growled threateningly at Kimblee, obviously bereft of words to express his anger.

"Major Miles, may I speak to you for a moment?" a soldier called from behind Envy. Miles' relief was palpable as he hurriedly followed the soldier into a room further down the corridor.

Envy took the opportunity to shift back into the form they had entered in. They weren't overly fond of the short hair, but it was a good compromise between being adequately disguised and remaining cute.

"It looks like you ruffled some feathers," Envy observed, eyeing Kimblee's pleased expression.

"Oh it was nothing." He paused, then continued. "Did you know that Sloth has been here?"

"I assumed as much." Envy crossed their arms and leaned against the wall, contemplating what Sloth's presence might imply. He clearly wasn't still here, so hopefully that meant he was continuing with his task…

"Oh, and Raven is dead," they remarked laconically, hoping to catch Kimblee off guard.

"I was hoping that might happen," he said instead.

"What?! Why?"

"With him gone, I can now act on my own discretion. I think I'll talk to Fullmetal again."

Envy couldn't help but be impressed. It seemed that Kimblee had everything planned out… "Before you do that, Wrath is sending up a present. I think you'll want to collect it before you see them again."

Kimblee looked at them with slight surprise, and Envy took the small victory of finally managing to throw him off balance. "It's a hostage," they supplied, "Wrath thinks she'll ensure Fullmetal's cooperation."

"Hmm, yes. That could be useful." Kimblee tapped his chin with two fingers, obviously deep in thought.

Envy couldn't imagine what there was to think about.  _ Get the girl, threaten Fullmetal into creating the crest, and leave. _ It was so simple. What could Kimblee possibly be planning?

At that moment, Miles re-entered, looking slightly apprehensive. "General Raven is missing."

"Missing?" Kimblee arched an eyebrow.

"It's a big place." Miles shrugged. "Who knows where he'll turn up, if he turns up at all…" He left the sentence hanging ominously.

Kimblee gave an icy smile. "In his… absence… I will assume control of our operations here."

"Operations? I thought this was an informal visit?" Miles questioned.

"Call it what you will, I have a direct line to the Fuhrer if you'd care to question him directly," offered Kimblee.

Miles frowned, but shook his head.

"Excellent. I will need a car to drive us to the base of the mountain. I assume you can arrange this? We're ready to leave immediately."

Envy followed mutely behind Kimblee as they walked back through Briggs. Could they really justify their presence here? Kimblee seemed to have everything in hand, and Envy had other responsibilities which needed seeing to.  _ One more day... _ Envy would stay one more day. Just to be sure that the Elrics would behave. Then they could return to Central with a report for Wrath, and their involvement would be validated.

One more day… they hoped their resolve would not be tested because… because…

Envy looked at Kimblee with confusion. Would they stay with this pathetic and yet fascinating human if he asked again? Envy didn't know…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N Okay this didn't turn out quite like I wanted it too, trying to weave it around the actual story left me a bit confused so sorry if that's reflected in this chapter. Also Envy is a very up and down character so I feel like I am writing constant contradictions D: not sure if they got away from me a little here!


	6. Kimblee Oversteps

The air at the base of the mountain was thicker, and Kimblee felt his dull headache start to fade. He had only become aware of it shortly before their departure from Briggs and had taken great care to hide it from his travelling companion. It seemed that the altitude of the mountain didn't agree with him, but Envy would be less than sympathetic if they found yet another of his weaknesses.

"Hey, pay attention when I'm talking to you!" Envy snapped impatiently, breaking through Kimblee's thoughts.

"Sorry… Rockbell, you said?"

"Yeah, she's Fullmetal's girlfriend or something." Envy's voice carried a hint of disgust.

"Hmm, I know that name." Kimblee said pensively. The Rockbells were doctors killed in Ishval. Kimblee himself could have been their executioner, but as fate would have it, they were already dead when his men arrived. They had continued their work for as long as possible, helping both military and Ishvalans alike; Kimblee couldn't help but respect such conviction.

The car came to a stop outside the Northern Station. "Wait here," Kimblee gave Envy a long look, "and don't speak once she's in the car."

"It's cute when you think you can tell me what to do."

It was a throwaway comment. But again it highlighted to Kimblee that even now, after everything they'd been through, Envy would never see him as an equal. He was constantly on alert around them, wondering what they were thinking and what their mood was, wondering whether a quip would elicit a laugh or rage. Envy was nothing if not unpredictable… and somehow this just added to Kimblee's interest.

Kimblee was aware that Envy was looking at him again with that strange look in their eye.

"Hah, it was only a joke," Envy muttered. "There's nothing cute about _you_."

It was a strange comment to clarify.

XXX

Winry Rockbell was immediately identifiable by the huge mechanics bag she carried alongside the rest of her luggage.

Assuming a pleasant smile, Kimblee stepped into the train terminal to meet her. "Ms Rockbell, I presume?"

He offered his hand, which she accepted warmly. "Yep that's me! You must be with the military?"

"Indeed. My name is Solf J. Kimblee. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms Rockbell."

"It's nice to meet you too, Mr Kimblee," she smiled.

"Please, allow me to carry your bags. You must have travelled a long way to get here."

"Oh, thank you, Mr Kimblee, that's very kind of you."

Kimblee picked up her bags and led her outside to the car.

"Wow, it's really cold here! I was so glad when your colleague rang me. I can't believe Ed; what was he thinking, heading up here without letting me change his automail! I don't know why I'm even surprised anymore."

Zoning out of the girl's endless chatter, Kimblee turned to make sure his soldiers were in tow. Since it seemed like he'd be in Briggs for a while, he had made a call to his men before leaving to ensure they'd be ready to accompany him back. Among his men were four Chimeras who Kimblee especially wanted with him for protection; the rest would probably be fairly useless, but perhaps good for intimidating the Briggs crew with.

Kimblee, ever the gentleman, held the door open for Winry before walking round to the other side of the car and getting in. He eyed Envy, who had moved into the front of the car, trying to work out if they were actually planning to stay quiet as he had requested.

"So Ms Rockbell, you grew up with the Elric brothers?"

"Mhm," she nodded. "We lived in the same village. They spent a lot of time with us, after…" She trailed off.

"If you don't mind me asking, were your parents doctors during the war in Ishval?"

Winry gasped and nodded again, pressing her lips tightly against each other.

"I thought so," Kimblee continued. "I was part of the dispatch sent to provide protection to them… but unfortunately we arrived too late." He glanced over and saw tears were gathered in her eyes.

It was odd; Kimblee had only brought up the girls parents as a way to gain her trust, but the compassion in his voice felt genuine. The more he spoke about them, the more he realised that his words were coming from a place deep inside which he rarely accessed. "I'm very sorry, I would have liked to have met them. Not many people have the strength and conviction to do what they did."

"Thank you, Mr Kimblee. I wish you could have met them too…"

Kimblee found himself strangely wishing he could comfort this sad girl. It was an interesting concept to him, to provide reassurance to someone weaker than himself in order to help them.

"When we got to their clinic, we found a photo of them with a young girl. I assume that was you. You kept them strong, right until the end. You should be proud."

Winry's tears were now flowing freely down her cheeks. "You're very kind," she said simply.

A snort sounded from the front of the car, Envy was clearly trying to convey their distaste while still adhering to Kimblee's request for silence. He knew Envy would give him hell for this later, but somehow it still seemed worth it. Kimblee didn't meet people very often who won his respect.

XXX

"Edward Elric!" Winry ran at the surprised looking alchemist, coat and scarf billowing out behind her. Kimblee stood behind her, arms folded, watching the exchange with mild amusement.

Envy had slunk off as soon as they arrived back at Briggs. Kimblee had known them long enough to realise that Envy, though they would never outwardly admit it, did not enjoy not being the centre of attention, and Kimblee had not said a word to them since Winry arrived. Things had not really been normal between them (whatever _normal_ was for a human and a homunculus) since Kimblee had been injured. He supposed that seeing him in that state must have affected Envy's opinion of him. And that night… Kimblee was sure now that it had _not_ been a fever dream. Envy showing up a few days later could not be a coincidence, and he couldn't rationalise any reason why he would have imagined something like that, dying or otherwise. But that left an even bigger unanswered question which Kimblee still couldn't really find the words for: the closest he could get was 'what did it mean?' With Envy, nothing was ever simple…

After five minutes of watching Winry and Ed screeching at each other, Kimblee put his foot down. "Ms Rockbell, why don't you let me escort you and Edward to the workshop so you can get him fixed up?"

"Huh?" Winry and Ed both said simultaneously, spinning to face Kimblee as if they had both forgotten his presence. Winry recovered first. "Oh, haha, of course, thank you Mr Kimblee," she laughed with embarrassment.

Kimblee led the two of them through the now familiar corridors. The childish banter between them had been entertaining for the first thirty seconds, but it was beginning to grate on him. Still, Kimblee remained calm; keeping them both onside was important to his plans.

As soon as they were in the workshop, Kimblee excused himself. He had been assured the work would take a couple of hours, so there was no need for him to remain there for the whole duration.

Now that he was accompanied by his team of Chimeras, Major Miles and the rest of the Briggs soldiers gave him a wide berth. Kimblee wandered, unhindered, to the small kitchen used by the senior officers in the fort and made himself a fresh coffee. He generally wasn't affected by the cold, but up here, in the farthest reaches of civilisation, the chill in the air was persistent and no amount of layers could take the edge off. To make matters worse, his headache from earlier had started to return.

_Nothing that can't be fixed by coffee,_ Kimblee thought sternly to himself. It was important now more than ever that he had his full energy to concentrate on the task at hand. Wrapping his hands around the steaming mug, Kimblee inhaled deeply.

"There you are."

Kimblee looked up to see Envy standing in the doorway.

"Were you looking for me?" he asked.

"Not really." Envy shrugged and walked over to the cupboards, rifling through them with curiosity.

"I think the mechanic girl will be helpful." Kimblee said conversationally.

"Don't you mean _Ms Rockbell_?"

"... I suppose."

"What was all that back in the car? ' _Ooh Ms Rockbell, your parents were_ soooo _special. I wish I met them before they got brutally murdered_ ," Envy mocked.

Kimblee rolled his eyes. So they were in one of _those_ moods.

"Where have you been, anyway?" he said, letting Envy's insult slide.

"Here and there," came the casual response.

"Anything to report?"

"I don't _report_ to you, idiot," Envy said spitefully.

Kimblee had dealt so far with the cold, and the headache, and the confusion over why Envy was really here, but this really was too much. This was _his_ operation. _He_ alone had been tasked with finding Scar and Doctor Marcoh. Envy _should_ be reporting to him on these matters. Or was he just an entertainment for the homunculus and never trusted to begin with? "Why are you here? Really? This isn't your task, you assigned it to _me_ . Don't you have _other_ responsibilities to attend to?"

Envy tensed and Kimblee knew immediately that he had made an error in judgement. There was no way Envy would take his words without a fight.

"I'm here because you asked me to stay!"

Kimblee was surprised by Envy's words. It was true that he had tried to get them to stay, using Wrath's orders against them, but he hadn't thought that Envy was aware of that… They knew he wanted them to stay, so they stayed? _What did that mean?_ "Actually no. I never asked."

"Don't be stupid! I heard you, you said…" The heat left Envy's voice as they realised the error. Kimblee _had_ never asked them to stay.

"I said, 'I'm surprised you would go against a direct order from Wrath'. That's all."

"Wha… what!?" Envy spluttered.

"You stayed because you thought that's what I wanted?" Kimblee asked incredulously.

"N-no… No. No!"

Kimblee looked coolly at the slender figure in front of him. Were they really shaking?

"I would never, never! Look at you, you're so pathetic…" Envy's face was twisted in a mask of hatred and Kimblee could feel his own composure starting to slip.

He slammed his coffee mug down on the kitchen surface with more force than he intended. "If I'm so pathetic then why are you still following me around?!"

"Following?! FOLLOWING?!" Envy looked poised to attack.

This had gone far enough. Kimblee couldn't fight against a homunculus; that would never be fair. He took a step back and help up both hands, palms facing forwards.

Envy hesitated for only a second before continuing their onslaught. "How. Dare. YOU!" They lashed out blindly, all power and no accuracy, and succeeded in smashing their fist into one of the glass panelled kitchen cabinets.

Envy howled in pain as the glass shattered, covering them in hundreds of tiny shards. They withdrew their bloodied fist and looked blankly at the red healing sparks which sprung up around it. "I-I'm leaving," they said in a trembling voice, "I'm going back to Central."

Kimblee nodded. It was obvious that they could not continue this uneasy alliance anymore.

The red sparks around Envy's knuckles spread to encompass their whole being as they changed back to the military disguise they had adopted in Briggs. "Don't disappoint us Kimblee. There won't be any more second chances." Envy disappeared quickly through the door.

Kimblee sat down in the closest chair, struggling to collect himself. He smoothed down his hair (a nervous gesture he had tried hard to break as a young man) and concentrated on regulating his breathing.

What had just happened?

Kimblee usually enjoyed analysing situations involving human emotions. But this was much too close for comfort.

Did Envy really hate him that much?


	7. Envy, the Jealous

Envy was still shaking as they fled through the never-ending corridors of the Briggs Fortress.

If Kimblee had been any other human then he would be dead by now. No one had ever spoken to them like that (aside from their siblings) and lived. It was a general rule that they did not tolerate humans, but Kimblee had always been... different. But that was over now.

The realisation that this might well be the end of their working together hit Envy harder than they cared to admit, but any confusing feelings were quickly masked by anger.

As they emerged out into the crisp mountain air, Envy immediately assumed their preferred appearance without so much as changing pace. The first impact of their nearly bare feet on the snow should have been jarring, but they were so consumed with rage that they were barely aware of the cold.

Things had been fine between them, good even, until Wrath had sent that stupid girl up. That stupid, beautiful, perfect girl who Kimblee had been unable to take his eyes off. That girl with the lustrous honey blonde hair and big, azure eyes coated in thick dark lashes. That girl who represented everything Envy would never be, but craved more than anything…

Envy kicked irrationally at the snow, trying to rid themselves of the monstrous images of their true form which streaked through their mind. It was disgusting, _they_ were disgusting. Despite working so hard to make their outward form so pretty, lithe, muscular… cute, Envy would never be anything more than that _thing_.

They shouldn't have been surprised that Kimblee would rather talk to her. It was a self-pitying way of thinking which Envy would never normally have indulged in, but seeing Kimblee so enamoured with someone else, attentive in a way Envy had thought was reserved just for themself, brought out Envy's darker nature. After all, they had been named for their jealousy. It was all encompassing and it threatened to swallow them up into a pit of despair. But their anger was still too raw, too powerful. They pushed all thoughts of jealousy aside, because admitting it would mean admitting that Kimblee's attention mattered…

…Which brought them to another thing.

'Y _ou stayed because you thought that's what I wanted_?' Kimblee had said. His words echoed around in Envy's head, mocking their weakness, and despite their anger Envy couldn't help but feel bothered that they couldn't provide a satisfactory answer to his question.

XXX

Envy had been walking for at least an hour before they cooled off enough to wonder where they were actually going.

The mountainside was covered in at least two feet of glistening snow; it was a beautiful, if harsh, landscape. But Envy was in no mood to appreciate it. As the dusk settled, the temperature dropped even further, and in the low light, it was getting more and more difficult to avoid the deep snow drifts.

After falling on the uneven ground for a second time and ending up waist deep in a drift, Envy resolved to turn back. It was cold, and they were tired and hurting. Kimblee had exposed their weakness, he knew he was... important to them, and that made it even more difficult for Envy to pretend that he wasn't. The need to return to him and set things right was matched in intensity by the fear and anger which had compelled them to run away in the first place. But there were no words Envy could think of to undo the damage, even if they had wanted to— _which I don't_ , they added harshly. No, they would simply return in a new disguise and take a car back down the mountain. There was no need for Kimblee to know.

Envy pulled themself up out of the snow and backtracked a few steps before realising that the light wind had disrupted the snow's surface enough that most of their tracks were obscured. _Great_ , they thought, spinning on the spot, trying to make out any distinguishing features in the terrain to indicate the way back to Briggs. Snow-covered peaks loomed in all directions, and to Envy they all looked the same in the low light.

_Kimblee would know where to go_ , came an unbidden thought. Kimblee and his photographic memory would definitely be able to point out the correct path back to the mountain fort. But Kimblee wasn't here, and Envy was alone.

With no other options, Envy set off again. The chill in the air continued to increase, and the cold was becoming almost unbearable. Envy crossed their arms around their body for warmth and gritted their teeth. They could walk for days up here and not come across civilisation. In theory, that wasn't a problem for a homunculus with nearly unlimited healing power, but Envy had never dealt well with being cold.

Snow began to fall softly and soon Envy's hair was covered with the stuff. Their fiery anger from earlier was now fully extinguished, and the inevitable shivering had set in. The sky was now pitch-black, and away from the big city lights, the carpet of stars shone more brightly than Envy had seen since… since those nights in the Ishval desert. With him.

Without the mask of their anger, thinking about Kimblee was painful. Envy hadn't realised how much energy it had taken to bury their growing attachment to the alchemist.

Memories of that night in the hospital, which Envy had tried desperately to forget, flooded back. For the first time, they were able to admit that they had been scared for him, lying unmoving on the bed while his life bled out. It reminded them of how fragile and human Kimblee really was, and yet despite that, being nestled up against him, taking comfort in feeling his heart beneath their hand… it had been sort of… nice.

Envy continued to shake but now it was only partly from the cold. A strangled sob escaped their lips. What was happening to them? Had they gone soft? What would their siblings say… what would _Father_ say?

XXX

At some point in the middle of the night, Envy became aware of a few lazy red sparks moving over their body. It was unexpected, because finally, after hours of walking in the snow, Envy had finally stopped shivering and couldn't feel the cold any more. Strange that they would begin to heal _after_ they had finally started to warm up.

_Hypothermia_ , their brain supplied after a momentary delay.

Could a Homunculus even get hypothermia? Before today Envy would have guessed no, but their symptoms seemed to fit. They supposed that in the extreme cold of the North they just couldn't heal fast enough; still, it would be fine as long as they could just get somewhere

warm to heal up fully.

Envy continued walking, trying to pick up their pace, although they stumbled more frequently now, as if they weren't fully in control of their coordination. They were also aware that their breathing had slowed down.

_If I could just lie down for a moment_ …

Envy shook themself; even with their Philosopher's Stone slowly healing them, falling asleep out here could still be fatal. Lust's death had proved that their stones weren't infinite, in the most devastating way.

Several times they tripped over the rocky outcrops, which resulted in a couple of deep, bloody gashes across their legs; tears stung at their eyes as they picked themself up after each tumble, although Envy refused to let them fall. They may be a pathetic mess right now, but even that wasn't enough to totally extinguish their pride. They would find something soon, they told themself… maybe they'd accidentally circled round and would come face to face with Briggs again? It was a foolish hope, but it was all they had to cling to…

Envy was becoming concerned about how slowly the lacerations seemed to be healing now. Was it that their stone was too preoccupied to even handle a few cuts and grazes? They shook their head forcefully, trying to dislodge the fog which seemed to have seeped into their mind. Snow was flung in all directions as their dark hair streaked out around them, but other than that it didn't have much impact. Envy felt vaguely panicked; how long could they continue like this?

A feeling of sick fear settled in the pit of their stomach. What if they didn't find anywhere safe? What if their stone was expended here, in the wintry desolation of the mountains? Would anyone ever know…?

Would anyone ever _care_?

XXX

After the longest night, a weak sun finally appeared above the mountain line. Early morning rays lit up the valley, adding a glittery sheen over the white snow.

Through blurred vision, Envy could make out buildings in the distance. They knew they should feel relief, but feeling anything right now felt like too much effort, and it was all they could do to place one foot in front of the other.

Envy could taste blood in their mouth as they approached what they assumed to be a moderately sized town. The mountains had not been kind to them, and their legs were covered in smears of red from the numerous falls. Envy was used to blood, but not their own, and it bothered them more than they would have imagined. Not only because of the pain (although that was bad too), but because of the weakness it represented. _Humans_ bled; it was humiliating to be reduced to their level.

Finally, Envy made it to the border of the town. It had an eerie feel about it, and a sort of dense and heavy silence hung in the air. Envy vacantly wondered where the inhabitants were, but they didn't have enough energy to bring themself to really care.

They wandered through the maze of abandoned buildings looking for a source of warmth. The healing sparks were crackling constantly over them now, working overtime to keep their body temperature above freezing and retain some level of functional awareness. Somewhere in the complex network of the town's intersecting paths, Envy spotted an open window. With significant effort, they pulled themself up and tumbled through it, landing in an unceremonious heap on the floor. Envy's energy was close to spent. They crawled a few more feet to the corner of the room and curled up into themself. Their eyelids were so heavy that Envy barely noticed the dusty interior before their eyes slipped shut; Envy was gone in seconds.

XXX

"... Don't hesitate. Pull the trigger as soon as you get him in your sights…"

"... Neatly and quietly…"

A gasp.

"... Surely we don't have to _kill_ him?..."

"... He's too dangerous…"

Envy heard the voices first. They didn't catch the full conversation, but it was enough. Whoever was in the adjacent room was plotting an assassination.

They opened their eyes quickly, and squeezed them immediately shut to protect against the now-midday sun which flooded into the room.

"... Can't we prevent him from using his alchemy?..."

_Alchemy_? Who were these people and their unsuspecting alchemist target?

More cautiously the second time, Envy open their eyes, giving them time to adjust to the daylight.

The room they were in was sparse: a few empty cabinets stood against one wall, and a table which had definitely seen better days had been pushed against another. It seemed as though anything of value had been removed long ago, and the dust looked undisturbed, save for the trail of blood leading from the window to Envy's small corner.

Envy stretched out their pale legs and surveyed the damage. There was none, as far as they could tell. It seemed as though the rest and the slight increase in the sun's temperature had been enough to allow them to fully heal up.

They tried not to feel too relieved; it was far easier to lie to themself about how pathetically they had acted the previous night.

"... We'll need you to distract him while we get into position, can you do that?"

Envy zoned back into the conversation taking place in the next room, trying to figure out where they were and what they had stumbled into the middle of. They wanted nothing more than to escape these godforsaken mountains, but if it would be possible to avoid a fight then that would be greatly preferred.

"I suppose," came a second voice. Envy recognised it instantly: it was the annoying Fullmetal kid.

_What's he doing here?_ Envy had thought Kimblee's plan was to retain the Elrics to use in carving the crest of blood; why would he cut them loose, here of all places?

"And don't tell any of the soldiers from Northern HQ; we don't know how loyal they are to Kimblee."

Realisation dawned swiftly like a punch to the stomach. The target was Kimblee.

Envy's thoughts ran faster than they could keep up with. Why was Kimblee _here_? (Where even was _here_?) Did he know about the treachery being planned by the Briggs soldiers?

Moving into a cat-like crouch, Envy crept across the room and positioned themself in front of the door leading to where the voices were coming from. All of their instincts screamed at them to kick it down and kill every last one of them.

But Fullmetal was protected... for now. Envy shuddered to think of their fate if they killed one of Father's precious sacrifices before The Promised Day.

Besides, since when had Envy been interested in _saving_ lives?

It was Kimblee. He had gotten inside their head and was slowly claiming more and more of Envy's mind. It was abhorrent and unallowable, and Envy wished they could sit here passively and let him die. But it just wasn't possible.

The sounds of boot heels scuffing the floorboards snapped Envy out of their deliberations as the party of Briggs soldiers began to make ready to leave.

As they filed out of the building and onto the deserted streets, Envy, filled with self-loathing, made their way to the top of the building and hopped along the rooftops, making sure to keep out of sight.

It wasn't long before a tall, raven haired man with a majestic bearing and a crisp white suit came into view.

Envy watched the oldest Elric brother engage him in conversation— _the distraction_ , they assumed. But where were the snipers? Envy cast their eyes over the nearby buildings, looking for a good vantage point. A telltale flash of reflected light caught their attention from a nearby window.

_Gotcha_.

With a sense of burning urgency, Envy swung themself over the side of the ledge they had been perched on and landed with a roll onto a lower rooftop. Recovering quickly, they ran across the top of the building, displaying an inhuman balance, and skidded to a stop above the offending window.

From their new position ,they could hear the voices of both the snipers and their target. Kimblee was talking dispassionately to the younger alchemist; Envy heard Scar's name and immediately tuned out, choosing instead to listen to the more pressing conversation.

"Sir, he's in our sights, but Elric's there too."

"Can you make him?"

There was a pause.

"Yes, Sir!"

"Good…" Envy could hear the smile in the soldiers voice. "Do it."

A metallic click sounded as the weapon was readied. Their hand was being forced, the time they needed to weigh up the consequences of this decision just didn't exist.

Envy inhaled deeply, preparing themself for the pain of another death, and dived off the side of the building just in time to catch the bullet squarely in the chest.

_Just like Hughes_ … Envy thought dumbly as the searing pain pierced through them.

As they plunged down into the snow, Envy was aware of the crack of an alchemical explosion, and the snow seemingly rising to meet them in a billowing cloud.

Kimblee had known all along… of course he had known.


	8. Kimblee vs Ed

_The Previous Day_

 

_Kimblee tapped his fingers irritably on the desk which sat between he and Edward Elric. What was taking the boy so long to make a decision? Kimblee had offered the one thing he knew the young alchemist coveted more than anything: his Philosopher's Stone. Some form of treachery was expected, of course; this boy had a moral code which wouldn't allow him to perform every task Kimblee would ask of him. But even so, if he could just help with the first…_

_He had been banking on using some of Envy's strength against the impervious soldiers of Briggs, but now carving the crest seemed slightly more of a challenge, even for him. He pushed the unwelcome thought of Envy out of his mind. They weren't here now; no need to waste time wondering…_

_He brought a fist down onto the table harder than intended_. _"You are beginning to bore me. Agree, or don't agree. But know that there is no way out of this."_

_Not while he had Winry here._

_The words remained unspoken; they were both perfectly aware of the situation here._

_"You're insane," Edward replied through gritted teeth._

_Kimblee allowed a small smile. "Did you only just realise?"_

_"Are you… are you_ one of them _?"_

_"A homunculus?" Kimblee was surprised at the question; he had felt his humanity rather painfully recently. How strange for Edward to think he could be an equal of the homunculi. "No, I'm perfectly human. As human as you." He eyed the automail hand. "Maybe even more so."_

_He had only said it to get a reaction, and it seemed to work. Edward tensed and rocked forward slightly in his chair as if he was ready to jump over the table and attack._ " _Why, then? Why are you helping them?"_

_That was easy._ _"As long as I help them, I have free reign to use my alchemy as I please."_

_"But you said earlier that you were just an observer? Waiting to see what happened?"_

_Kimblee was pleased that he had been paying attention._ _"_ _T_ _hat's correct. But there's no fun in that, is there?" He smiled his maniacal grin, which he reserved for only when he_ really _wanted to make people uncomfortable._

_Edward sat back, contemplating again. Kimblee had played his games, and this conversation was beginning to get rather dull. Everything in this isolated fortress had felt that way since Envy left…_ They're gone now _, he reminded himself for the second time in as many minutes._

_"Last chance," he offered. If his patience wore any thinner then he may accidentally begin work on the blood seal here and now._

_"I… I need to speak to Winry about this."_

_It was better than nothing, and at the very least it was a chance to end the meeting._

_"Very well. Go quickly."_

_Edward was out of the door before he had even finished speaking._ Impulsive idiot _._

 

_Present_

 

Kimblee had been aware of the snipers for a few minutes. He was only half concentrating on his conversation with Edward, as most of his attention was directed towards calculating the exact right time to act. Too early, and the snipers wouldn't be in position yet, making him look paranoid and afraid, but too late, and they might make their shot. He had been lucky on the train, he knew that. Mere inches higher and that pole would have hit something vital; he doubted he would be that fortunate again.

It was a shame that their talk had to end so soon, as Kimblee was enjoying speaking to Edward now he had the upper hand. He felt that since Envy's sudden departure, he had struggled to regain control of the situation at Briggs; it was silly, because he had never planned for Envy to come this far with him, so it's not like he had lost anything when they left… But still, it had left him feeling uneasy, as if maybe he should have tried harder to prevent it.

_Uhh_. He was being ridiculous again, dwelling on things which were hardly important. Besides, the tension around him seemed to have kicked up a notch. Now was the time for action.

Kimblee's hands made contact with the ground with satisfying force in the same split second as the shot rang out. A cloud of white powder flew up into the air in response to his alchemy, and he braced himself for the anticipated reverberations, but then something caught his attention which stopped him from experiencing the usual exhilaration he associated with his alchemical explosions.

A small figure was hurtling towards the ground at a dangerous speed; there was no mistaking the wild black hair which trailed behind them as they crashed down into the snow.

What was Envy doing here… _here?_

For a few precious seconds, Kimblee was stunned into inactivity. His mind tried to supply a reason for their presence, but despite all of his intellect, Kimblee was unable to find one which even remotely made sense.

"Is that... Envy?" Edward asked slowly, to no one in particular. His voice was coloured with the same confusion Kimblee felt.

When Envy didn't move from the crumpled heap on the floor, Kimblee began to feel strange. Rationally, he knew that the homunculus could heal themself, at least, all the current evidence would suggest that… but what did Kimblee know, really, about the true nature of one such as Envy? What if their healing was limited to minor injuries… maybe a fall like that was too much for them?

No, no, what was he thinking, he had seen Envy survive much worse. Why was he letting his thoughts get away from him like this?

A loud crack snapped Kimblee out of his own head, and a bullet whistled past him, a few metres to the left. The cover from the disturbed snow was still protecting him, but it wouldn't last for long. Envy still hadn't moved from their position on the ground, and Kimblee felt a feeling which could be described as guilt as he turned his back on them. It wasn't that he didn't want to help Envy, it's just that he couldn't conceive of a situation where Envy would actually need his help.

"Darius, Heinkel," he summoned. "Take care of the boy." He had no desire to fight Edward, it was a waste of time, and an unnecessary risk.

He wasn't intending to look back, he really wasn't, but he thought he heard something…

"Hey… Crimson?"

Kimblee's breath caught in his throat as he whipped round to regard the now standing homunculus. Bright red blood was dripping down Envy's torso from a chest wound which was partially obscured by their familiar healing sparks, and they swayed slightly where they stood.

Envy had been shot?

Kimblee was frozen in place as he processed this additional piece of information. Had Envy taken a bullet meant for him? And why..? Why would they do such a thing?

"What are you looking at?" they asked, self-consciously trying to wipe away the blood but succeeding only in spreading it over them even more.

"I… you saved me?" Kimblee's thoughts were running too fast for him to keep up with, and his words felt flat, unable to convey what he wanted them too.

Envy's face looked even more uncomfortable, if that were possible. "It's not a big deal. You're just too useful to die here… but it doesn't mean anything."

Kimblee didn't know how to adequately respond to that. "Of course…"

Did Wrath tell them to come back? That might make sense; it would explain the awkwardness, the lack of eye contact; Envy was still mad, but they had to be here anyway… was it that simple?

"Look, I—" Envy was cut off as another shot rang out, echoing round the empty courtyard. Whatever they were going to say, they had evidently changed their mind, because when they spoke again the softness had left their voice completely. "I need to get out of here."

Kimblee was suddenly aware that the thick cloud of snow he had disrupted with his alchemy was slowly starting to settle. Visibility had already begun to increase from next-to-nothing to a few feet. Why hadn't he noticed that sooner? Minutes ago he had bragged to Edward that he could sense the murderous gaze of the snipers burning into him, and it had been true. So why, this time, had he allowed his guard to drop?

His eyes darted to the mine entrance; it wasn't far, and it would provide much needed cover from the rifles he could feel were trained on him. Whether or not Envy was with him shouldn't be important, so he pushed the thought away; it couldn't be a factor right now.

Kimblee began the short sprint to the entry-way and noticed Envy fell into step immediately beside him. Kimblee wondered if they were slowing themself down for him, after all he was hardly in peak physical condition following his years in prison, and more recent injuries. It was almost like they… no, best not to venture there…

Once in the relative safety of the mine, Kimblee turned back to Envy. They were clearly proving a distraction and the sooner he could figure out how things stood between them, the sooner he could continue his hunt.

"Why are you here?" His tone was more direct than intended, but he was keen to resolve this quickly.

Envy twisted away from his piercing gaze and their face coloured slightly. "I'm not going to apologise, if that's what your asking," they muttered, looking anywhere but at Kimblee.

_Hardly surprising. But no, that's no what I'm asking._ Kimblee sighed internally as he struggled for the correct words.

"Why did you… I mean… ah." His mumbling was irritating, even to himself; why couldn't he pull himself together? "Thank you." The words seemed as appropriate as any others, although he had had the situation in hand—he had never been in any real danger... really he ought to feel offended.

If anything, that seemed to make Envy's discomfort even more pronounced. "It was nothing. Really. Just forget about it, okay? If you weren't so weak then I wouldn't have to go to such lengths…"

Unconsciously, perhaps, Envy's fingers moved to their now-healed chest, and Kimblee wondered how much it must have hurt them. Having been so recently injured, he thought he may be able to empathise, although he would have thought that a near-immortal creature such as Envy would become desensitised to the pain after so long.

"I think Scar could be hiding out down here." Kimblee offered, eventually. He was keen to continue his hunt and he needed to know if Envy was planning on staying. Every second they deliberated here was another second Scar was escaping, and that rankled at Kimblee's fragile pride.

Envy's eyes lit up and they finally met Kimblee's. "Ooh, so you finally found him again? It's taken you long enough." Of course, Envy could never avoid a chance to mock him.

"Mhm." As much as Kimblee was enjoying their unexpected return, he felt a tad possessive over the mission; he couldn't lie that he'd be disappointed if he wasn't the one to end Scar, especially after the incident on the train. But he wasn't sure how Envy would take that, and he wasn't ready to test their tentative peace so soon after it had been established.

A crash sounded from outside. Kimblee had never seen the Fullmetal Alchemist in action, but it made sense that a kid so headstrong and intelligent could be a force to be reckoned with.

"Come on, let's keep moving before the Elric boy catches up with us." Kimblee began to descend the steps which led deeper into the mine but stopped when he realised that Envy was no longer in tow.

"I'm not staying." _Oh._ "Don't think that anything's changed. I was just making sure that you aren't going to mess up Father's plan. It's been over two weeks now, and you still haven't even managed to hunt down one pathetic alchemist."

How strange. Kimblee had always considered Scar to be the main target, not Marcoh; he filed the information away for later analysis, before considering the rest of Envy's words. Obviously things were not as okay between them as he had thought…

At that moment Edward appeared in the doorway, interrupting his musings. "Aha, I thought you'd be down here, although I didn't expect you to make it this easy!"

"I have no desire to fight you," Kimblee replied, truthfully.

Envy made a disdainful noise beside him. _Of course they would disagree_. But the memories of losing to Scar were fresh, and Kimblee couldn't handle that level of humiliation again, especially not with Envy watching.

"Good, because I'd rather talk," Edward replied evenly.

"Oh really? What about?" Envy cut in, flashing a vicious grin.

Kimblee sighed. He had been hoping to keep this civil, but clearly that would be impossible.

"Not to you, to him." Edward looked pointedly at Kimblee.

Envy's eyebrows raised in amusement. "Well don't let me stand in your way, runt."

"I won't, ugly."

Envy's smile fell off their face in an instant. "What did you call me…?" they asked, dangerously.

"You heard me. Don't forget, I've seen you—the _real_ you. And you are ugly as hell."

The real you... what did that mean?

"Why you… how dare…" Envy made a strangled sound as their anger overwhelmed them.

_So much for avoiding a fight._

It happened quickly. Envy's suddenly elongated arm shot out to smack Edward squarely on the jaw. Edward staggered back but recovered quickly. Clearly, he had fought with Envy before. _I wonder what happened there…?_ With a clap, Edward showcased his unusual brand of alchemy; Kimblee would have been impressed, had he the time. As it was he was preoccupied with moving quickly out of the way as a line of jagged stone spikes erupted from the floor.

Edward bent down to try a second attack, but Envy was quicker; they darted over the uneven floor and dealt him a kick to the face.

"You're going to regret saying that. I'll make sure of it," Envy gloated as they stood over the young alchemist while he wiped blood from his mouth.

"I was being serious. I do want to talk."

Envy kicked him again, harder this time; they swung for a third time but Edward rolled out from under them and finally his hands made contact with the floor again. The stone underneath Envy splintered and was flung up in the air like shrapnel. Envy gave a yelp of pain as they were tossed up by the force of the alchemy.

The yelp was enough to spring Kimblee into action. It wasn't his fight, and he was content to observe from the side when it seemed like Envy was winning, but he had obviously underestimated the Elric boy. "This is what you want, isn't it," he taunted, plucking the shard of Philosopher's Stone from his mouth in an attempt to draw some of Edward's attention.

It apparently worked, because he immediately charged at Kimblee, using his alchemy to draw a blade out of his automail arm as he ran. "You're making this too easy for me," Edward snarled, raising his arm up high and then slashing down with more finesse then Kimblee would have thought possible from automail.

Kimblee took an involuntary step back, feeling the small shard beginning to slip from his fingers. Edward took advantage of his stumble to land a kick to Kimblee's abdomen. As he was thrown back, Kimblee finally lost purchase on the stone, and it sailed through the air and straight into the mineshaft.

There was a moment of silence as all ears strained to hear each clink of the stone on its way down.

Then, suddenly, Envy landed on Edward's shoulders from behind, taking him down again in a tangle of limbs. A well placed elbow collided with Envy's face, making a sickening crunch and they howled, whether in pain or anger Kimblee couldn't tell.

Edward jumped to his feet quickly as Envy reeled back with a dazed look on their face, red sparks flying over their freshly broken nose.

Kimblee was ready for him this time, and he dodged Edward's lunging attacks effortlessly. "You'll need to try harder than that… oh, but you aren't trying your hardest, are you?" He sidestepped another blow, wondering why Edward was holding back.

"I don't _need_ to try my hardest against you and Ugly over there." Edward spat, continuing his onslaught.

"Ah, now I understand. You're afraid to kill me, aren't you?"

Kimblee's surprise at the realisation cost him dearly, as Edward's next attack sent a cold pain shooting through his right palm.

"Hah, use your alchemy now!" Edward grinned victoriously at having broken his transmutation circle.

Kimblee seethed silently, torn between respect for Edward's unconventional determination not to kill, and fury at being bested by a mere teenager. In the end his temper got the better of him: sacrifice or not, he refused to lose to this insufferable child.

"Don't be so naive. Do you think because you ruined my circle that you've won? Your want not to kill would almost be admirable, if it didn't make you so weak. Did you even consider that I might have another Philosopher's Stone? You should have killed me when you had the chance…" Kimblee enjoyed the look of confusion which washed over his adversary's face as he spoke. He was also aware, in his peripheral vision, that Envy was finally standing again.

Kimblee withdrew his second, more perfect Stone, the gift from Envy, and held it in-front of Edward.

"Crimson, don't!"

Almost in slow motion, Envy dived to knock Edward out of Kimblee's way, but it was too late. Kimblee's alchemy had already merged with the stone, producing a glorious chorus of explosions which spiralled up the mineshaft and brought it crashing down in a hideous screech of metal on metal. The floor beneath the three of them buckled and for a second it seemed like it might hold, but the weight of the falling debris was too much, and Kimblee could only watch as Envy and Edward were swallowed up in a huge cloud of dust.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew, I have never written an action sequence like this before, so I hope you follow it okay; even though I can see where the characters are and how they are moving, it's difficult to get all the right detail in without damaging the pacing too much. I hope I got the balance right!
> 
> The ending was based off a really interesting question I read somewhere about how Kimblee managed to get away with nearly killing Ed in Baschool. If the homunculi knew about it I doubt they'd be happy with him; hence Envy's protective dive at the end!
> 
> I referred to Ed as 'Edward' all the way through here because I thought that Kimblee would probably use his full name… if felt really unnatural though!
> 
> Okay, that was all I wanted to say. Thanks for reading!


	9. Envy Falls

Envy barely had time to think. They just knew that if Kimblee killed Ed… well, that would be bad. For all of them.

It was the second time that they had wasted a precious life on the troublesome Fullmetal Alchemist (the first being allowing him to use their core stone to escape Gluttony), and that was annoying. Envy had lives to spare, of course, but they were  _their_ lives. Fullmetal had better improve at looking after himself, because Envy wouldn't always be around to save him. And Kimblee… well, he had better not try a stunt like this again. Envy had been on receiving end of Father's punishments more times then they could count, and they knew that Kimblee wouldn't even last a day. Not that that should be a problem for Envy—it's not like  _they_  had done anything wrong, but even so, maybe best not to tell Father about this near miss just in case—

Envy's trail of thoughts ended abruptly as they crashed into the floor. Something made a horribly wet tearing sound, and cold pain lanced through their left leg. Mercifully, they blacked out almost immediately.

XXX

Something was wrong. Very, painfully, obviously wrong. But Envy was struggling to think clearly enough to work out exactly what it was. A groan of metal sounded from above them, and brought to their attention the massive sheet of iron pressing down onto their chest.

It hurt. Every breath hurt.

Envy braced themself and tried to push the large piece of metal off, but the shift in their position was enough to send a stabbing pain through their chest. Their vision swam, and their breathing was shaky and shallow, and, try as they might, they were unable to get a lungful of air.

Footsteps sounded in the distance. Was someone else down here? Wait—was Fullmetal down here? Envy struggled to remember the events leading to the fall. There had been a fight. Ed had been there. And Kimblee.

"Darius?!" an unfamiliar voice roared.

Yes. Kimblee had used his alchemy on Ed, and Envy, like an idiot, had tried to save the stupid human's life.  _Did he fall as far as I did? Did Kimblee?_ Envy wondered. How could a human have survived this? Envy was far stronger and more resilient than any human, and yet here they were, trapped and half crushed under a slab of iron, and they didn't even want to think about the damage to their left leg. Fortunately, the way they were pinned meant they were unable to see the full extent of the damage, but Envy knew that it was bad; they could feel as much from the icy numbness which seemed to have spread up from their ankle. They had to get out from under here. How could their stone work on fixing their broken ribs with a half a tonne of iron pressing down on them?

Envy tried to remain calm; there was a way out of this situation, there was always a way out… they just hoped they could figure it out in time.

"Hey, Darius? Can you hear me?" the voice rang out again, echoing disturbingly through the abandoned mine.

Darius—that's who the owner of the voice was looking for. Some semblance of a plan was coming together in the small part of Envy's brain which was still functioning through the pain. If only Envy knew who Darius was, or what he looked like…

The sound of the footsteps on the stone floor grew closer. Envy wracked their memory for where they had heard the name before; there was a small window of time to get this man's attention before he wandered off too far into the tunnels, and the panic that this knowledge was causing was making everything that much more difficult.

They closed their eyes, trying to concentrate.  _Darius… Darius and… Heinkel._ They had heard someone saying those names recently, very recently. Someone with a smooth, commanding voice, who people seemed to take notice of.  _Kimblee._ They were Kimblee's chimeras.

Envy triggered the familiar process of transforming their body. It was harder than usual, though, because Darius was significantly larger than Envy's current, petite frame, and there was no room beneath the sheet metal for them to expand into. The result of this was the horrible experience of their ribs being slowly crushed even further into them. Envy tried to grit their teeth, tried to remain strong, but they couldn't contain a scream as a few more snaps sounded. The pain was excruciating, even worse than before, if that were possible, and Envy nearly blacked out again. Just as they felt their eyes beginning to roll back, the sheet of metal was suddenly lifted.

"Darius! I thought I heard you here."

Envy gulped in air as quickly as they could, waiting for their stone to fix their broken ribs.

"Man, you look hurt pretty bad. Are you… do you think you can walk? I can take you somewhere, to a hospital, or back to Briggs, maybe." The man was clearly stressed out by his 'friend's' current condition.

"J-just give me a few minutes, okay?" Envy said in a shaky voice. Their healing was slower than usual—their stone had expended a lot of power over the past two days, but even now they could begin the feel the pressure on their chest easing, and their breathing beginning to return to normal.

"Sure, Darius, take all the time you need. I can't believe Kimblee did this to us; he must have known that we'd follow the kid into the mine, but he did this anyway. You know, I don't think he cares about anyone but himself."

That was an interesting observation—was it true?  _Did_  he only care about himself? Envy didn't think so, at least; up until a few days ago he had only treated them with respect, sometimes verging on admiration. Were they kidding themself, they wondered? Were explosions and violence all he cared about? And if so, why did Envy feel so… so… disappointed?

"Sure," they agreed, having no strength for discussion. "I think I can stand now, would…" Envy struggled with the next words. "...would you help me up?" They were worried about their ankle. Their healing seemed to be targeting the most life threatening injuries first and that didn't leave much left for their damaged leg. On inspection, it looked as if their foot had been nearly severed off at the ankle; the bone seemed to have mostly knitted back together now, but the remaining gash was deep and horribly bloody.

Heinkel bent over Envy and helped them put an arm around his broad soldier. Envy cringed at the contact, but this was the least painful way to right themself, and right now, the choice between pain and physical contact seemed easy. With a swift movement, the chimera pulled Envy to their feet.

A small cry escaped their lips as their ankle struggled under their weight, and they nearly fell again, but Heinkel's arms appeared there to support them.

"Easy there, Just take it easy, man. I got you."

Kind words such as these were not exactly unheard of for Envy—they often heard similar things from 'loved ones' when they were in disguise. But no one had ever spoken to Envy, knowingly, in such a way as this. Not that they had ever wanted that—it was just another sign of human weakness, the need to  _care_  about others. It was ridiculous... but then, why did it sound so comforting?

"Hey, isn't that the kid?" Heinkel pointed to a red shape on the ground with his free hand.

Oh, this was bad, Envy was in no condition right now to continue their fight with Ed. But there was no reason for him to know it was them, as long as they could continue to play the part of Darius… as long as the  _real_  Darius wasn't around here somewhere, too.

As they moved closer to where Fullmetal was lying, half hopping, and still leaning on Heinkel for support, Envy could see that he had also been badly injured from the fall. A small, vindictive and cruel part of Envy was glad that they weren't the only one to show such weakness by sustaining life threatening injuries; but the overriding part of them was suddenly very worried for the young alchemist. Father's plan hinged on using him as a sacrifice, and Envy didn't want to be the reason that everything fell apart.

"He's hurt," Envy told Heinkel, trying to gauge the reaction the real Darius might have to the sight in front of them.

"Yeah… do you think we should, maybe, help him? I don't know about you, but I don't think I really want to ally with Kimblee anymore…"

That was as good of a reply as any Envy could have hoped for; they hadn't even had to be the one to suggest they offer aid.

"No," they agreed. "I think our service to him has been terminated."

Heinkel nodded, and gently nudged Ed with a foot. "Hey, kid? You okay?"

Ed groaned and struggled weakly, shifting slightly to reveal a thin metal pole protruding out of his side.

"Well, damn," Envy breathed. The damage was bad; they weren't sure if this was something a human could survive without the aid of a philosopher's stone.

"Are… are you serious? You… really wanna help... me?" Ed asked in a shaky voice.

He was breathing fast, too fast for a human, and his eyes were wild and unfocused. Envy wondered if he was going into shock. They freed their arm from Heinkel's supporting grip, and bent down, bringing their face level with Ed's—it hurt, badly. Their ribs might not be broken anymore, but the bruising on their chest was not even close to healed.

Envy tried hard to think of something encouraging to say to keep the kid fighting. "We don't work for Kimblee anymore; if you're against him, then we're on your side." It wasn't exactly the comfort they thought might be needed, but this was hardly something Envy had had much practice with.

"Great," Ed said through clenched teeth, with maybe a hint of sarcasm. "I need this pole removed. I can't pull it out on my own."

"And then what? You'll bleed to death?"

"I think I can use my alchemy…"

Heinkel bent down on Ed's other side and shot Envy a concerned look. "You sure about this, kid? You don't look old enough to have much experience with healing."

"I've… I've done… research."

"Research?" Envy couldn't keep the contempt out of their voice. What was he thinking, trying to attempt something like this with no practice? "You'll need a Philosopher's Stone to make this work!"

"I know… I think I can use… my own… soul." Ed's voice was getting weaker each time he spoke; he didn't have much time left. Envy wondered if his bizarre plan would work; souls were all a Philosopher's Stone really was, after all. But it was risky, and they couldn't allow any unnecessary risks where the plan was concerned. They tried hard not to think of the obvious alternative, but try as they might, they couldn't shut it out once it had occurred to them.  _I have one… I have a Philosopher's Stone…_  but how could they bring it up without revealing themself? Was it possible to give Ed access without him realising? It wasn't exactly as if he was at his most alert right now…

"Okay, if you're sure." Envy looked at Heinkel, hoping that he would offer to be the one to remove it; Envy's body had been through a lot of stress recently, and they were keen to avoid anymore.

Wordlessly, Heinkel reached a big hand out to rest on Ed's shoulder, and placed the other on the metal pole. Envy found Ed's hand and placed it over their heart, as close as possible to the stone which was their core, and hoped that he would be too distracted to realise what was happening.

Ed's scream as the pole was wrenched out was bloodcurdling. Envy gripped his hand tighter in their own and plunged it deep into their chest with a horrified shudder. There was no pain—their control over their shape made it easy to part their flesh and reveal the glowing red stone—but the invasion of having another hand touching their core was, in many ways, worse than any pain they had experienced. Ed's free hand pressed down onto his bleeding side, triggering the alchemy in a show of inner strength that Envy hadn't expected to see from a human. They felt strangely weak as they channelled the power of their stone down through Ed's human arm, and, like the other time they had let him use their stone, strangely... connected. Before they could dwell on the uncomfortable intrusion, alchemic healing sparks sprang up around the wound and quickly stemmed the blood flow. After a few more seconds, the wound looked almost fully healed and Ed's breathing began to calm down.

Envy pulled Ed's hand away from their stone as soon as the process was complete, letting it drop to the floor with a shudder, and then quickly rightening their body back to Darius' wide chest.

"See, I told you I'd done some research," Ed said, finally, in a voice which was weak but also a little smug.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Heinkel stood and offered a hand to Ed.

Envy tried to follow, but the pressure on their ankle was still too much and they stumbled as it gave way under them. Of course, donating the power of their Philosopher's Stone to help Ed must have prevented it from continuing its work on their own injuries.

Heinkel turned back to Envy, looking anxious; Ed, meanwhile, was frowning and staring intently at Envy's damaged leg. Envy followed his gaze to where a thin trail of blood was steadily staining the bottom of Darius' trousers. They noticed, with some relief, that a few red flickers had appeared around the wound; it took a couple of seconds before they realised that this was what Ed must have seen, too.

"Envy? Is that you?"

Envy didn't have much in the way of experience when it came to fear, but since Kimblee's release, it had seemed to become a near regular occurrence. They could feel it settle like a weight on their chest, pushing air out of their lungs with surprising intensity. How did humans deal with feeling like this?

They glanced around the abandoned tunnels, looking desperately for an escape route. If they could just buy a little bit more time, they were confident that their ankle would be strong enough to walk on. Whether they could outrun anyone was another matter, but Ed was injured too…

"Don't be foolish," they sneered, in a show of confidence which was nowhere near how they were actually feeling. "You're in no condition to fight me."

"I don't think I'm any worse than you, right now."

"Hah. Is that a risk you'd like to take, pipsqueak?"

Ed's eyes flashed, but he made no move to attack. That was good; he knew that Envy was right.

"What? What's going on? Darius?" Heinkel looked from one to the other in confusion, as he tried to work out the exchange he was witnessing.

"Sorry, I'm afraid not," Envy shrugged as they began to transform back to their preferred form. It took a lot of energy, but they were determined not to back down against a pair of  _humans_. They were better than that, and they wanted—no, they  _needed_  these humans to know it.

Heinkel looked stunned, and Ed was still too weak to do anything without his support—this was Envy's chance. They pushed themself to their feet once more, testing out their ankle gingerly; it seemed like it would hold, as long as they were careful. They moved slowly to one of the tunnels leading deeper into the mine, before turning back with a menacing grin.

"Don't follow me. I'll be healed soon, and you don't want to come across me then."

XXX

Envy made slow progress through the tunnels, but they could feel the still air give way to a small breeze, so they knew they were headed in the right direction, towards the surface.

They had briefly considered trying to find Kimblee again, but no. This was a chance to leave him alone now. Distance. That was what they needed. Distance between they and Kimblee, and time, to sort through what had happened with him. Envy had had a lot of thoughts the previous night, and they were disturbing, but now that they had been recognised, they were proving nearly impossible to bury again. Hopefully a little bit of distance and time would be enough to forget… it had seemed to work well enough after Ishval; of course, Kimblee had been sent to prison, so it had been easier…

Envy was so wrapped up in their own thoughts that they weren't aware of the shadows growing taller on the tunnel walls, and of the ominous presence which seemed to be following them.

_~ Hello, Envy. ~_

"P-Pride?" Envy looked up, suddenly seeing the blackness which surrounded them.

Pride's eyes all opened at once, casting an eerie glow about the enclosed space.  _~ I'm surprised to see you so far North. ~_

Envy thought they detected a hint of amusement in their older brother's voice. "Yeah, well, I'm leaving now."

_~ Oh? You don't look so good. ~_ Of course, Pride would never pass up an opportunity to mock them.

"No…" Envy wondered how much they should share with Pride—knowledge was power, especially amongst the Homunculi. "I ran into the eldest Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, and—"

_~ You let yourself get into this state fighting with a human? ~_ Pride asked incredulously.  _~ How? Are you really so pathetic that you couldn't get away? ~_

The words stung, because Pride was dangerously close to the truth; they were in this state because of a human, just not the one Pride thought. The had fled Briggs, because of  _Kimblee;_  they had been shot, protecting  _Kimblee,_  and now they had fallen down a mineshaft, trying to stop  _Kimblee_ from killing a sacrifice. Everything pointed back to  _him,_  but as much as Envy wanted to hate him, they just… couldn't.

_~ Where's Kimblee, now? ~_ Pride asked, as if he could read their thoughts.

"How should I know?" Envy replied, just a little too quickly.

_~ Fine. I just have another task for him. We need the Blood Seal at Briggs sorting; Father is getting impatient. I'd ask you to do it, but I'm not sure you're up to it… ~_ Pride was being cruel on purpose, but what if he was right… what if Envy  _wasn't_  up to it right now? All they wanted was to curl up and forget these horrible last couple of days…

"I'm heading back to Central, anyway. There are things I need to do there, with Wrath."

_~ Wrath isn't in Central anymore. ~_

"Oh?" Envy was getting annoyed with Pride's games. Why couldn't they be treated with the respect they deserved?

_~ Yes, Father sent him up here to check on you. We're all very busy you know. Father wasn't happy to hear that you've been wandering around up here with Kimblee and avoiding your responsibilities. ~_

"I wasn't!" Envy responded heatedly. "I wasn't  _wandering_  around with anyone. I was making sure our asset was performing as planned."

_~ Hmm. Interesting. ~_

Talking with Pride was infuriating and pointless— if he had anything of interest to tell Envy, he would have said it already. The fact that he had resorted to trying to wind Envy up was a sign that the conversation may as well be over.

"Goodbye, Pride." Envy held up a hand in a half wave to the shadows engulfing the tunnel.

_~ Goodbye, Envy. Be careful… ~_ The shadows retreated, but Pride's final words hung heavy in the air.

Father knew Envy was here, and He knew they had been with Kimblee. But surely He wouldn't know about—no, there was  _nothing to know._  Envy would return to Wrath at Northern HQ, away from Kimblee, and things would be normal again. Yes… normal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I have taken so long to upload this! I always forget to post my updates regularly on here!  
> Thanks for reading <3


	10. Kimblee's Introspection

The dust cloud was thick and dry, and Kimblee made the mistake of trying to breathe through it, resulting in two solid minutes of coughing. Even after the cough had subsided, it still felt like it was choking him; his chest was tight and each breath burned and —Envy had fallen down the mineshaft!

Wait, was that important? Kimblee didn't think so, rationally, but a detached part of his brain was telling him that for some reason, the rest of him thought it was. He struggled to reconcile the two parts; it was very rare for such unreasonable and irrelevant thoughts to occur to him, but since his release from prison, it was happening with a disturbing frequency. He had to wonder if all those years of sitting idle, sidelined by his imprisonment, had made him soft… but if that were true, then wouldn't it affect  _all_ of his interactions, not just those with Envy? Kimblee briefly remembered the car journey he had shared with Winry Rockbell, where he had seemed to make a meaningful connection with her, even if only for the hour or so they had spent in the car…

He felt unsettled, but acknowledgement of the flaw was the first step to correcting it. He was already beginning to feel more relaxed, now that he had an understanding behind these strange thoughts which had been occurring recently. They were clearly the result of prolonged isolation from any kind of human contact, combined with an innate interest of the power held by the Homunculi. Envy wasn't special—he would probably feel the same about any one of them, had he the opportunity to meet them.

With renewed confidence, Kimblee began to continue his descent into the mine. He wondered if he would encounter Envy again, but actively pushed the thought out of his mind; Envy would have survived the fall with their usual resilience, but they would be angry as hell with him for any injuries sustained, as well as for the threat he had made on Edward's life. Also, Envy had been about to leave him, anyway, so there was no need to find them again just to be turned away.

No, it was by far the most logical course of action to continue his pursuit of Scar. Edward had actively tried to warn Kimblee away from the mine, so he deduced that he must be closing in on his quarry. And once he had found Scar, well, Doctor Marcoh wouldn't be far away… and that was who Envy was really after, wasn't it? Why, Kimblee couldn't say; what could that frail old alchemist help with that he couldn't? Did Envy require more Philosopher's Stones?

Kimblee tried not to let his annoyance cloud his judgement, but really, the Homunculi had him, along with their own impressive strength. What else could they need Marcoh for? If only they would trust him just a little more, then it would be far easier for him to help.  _It wasn't like this in Ishval,_ he thought bitterly. Envy had always overshared with him, and he had enjoyed it, being the trusted confidant of an immortal, all-powerful creature such as Envy. But so much had changed since then. And not just changes to The Plan, but changes to Envy themself. They had never been so guarded around him, or so quick to anger. Of course, they had always enjoyed having their secrets, and Kimblee was no stranger to their short temper, but it was—or had been—rare for him to be on the receiving end of it. Things were so different now, although Kimblee, despite all of his observations and analysis, was unable to pinpoint exactly why, and what, had changed. But it was obvious that something had. Kimblee briefly entertained the idea that maybe Envy had simply moved forward, while he had continued to cling to memories of the good times of Ishval; it was unlikely that the events there had meant as much to them as they had to him, and they had probably been off doing other, just as exciting things, while all he had been able to do was sit in the dark and reminisce…

His sigh was disconcertingly loud in the abandoned tunnels. Somehow, despite Kimblee's resolution just minutes ago, Envy had crept their way back into his thoughts. It was ridiculous, but he wondered whether they thought this much about him…

He gave a wry smile. There was no way that Envy would even give him a second thought, never mind feel anything akin to his current… fixation. Envy was intelligent, but impulsive, acting on instinct and emotion, and rarely following any plan all the way through to the end without a bit of improvisation. It was doubtful that they ever thought of him at all when he wasn't standing right in front of them.

_That's not true_ , he thought, remembering Envy, pale faced and swaying as they clutched at their chest where the bullet had pierced them. It was difficult for him to think about now, without the adrenaline prompting him into action. They had been so vulnerable, in a way that Kimblee had never seen them before. And they had come all that way from Briggs, on foot, to… protect him? It just didn't make sense. They had spoken to him so harshly, about how they had just been ensuring that his human weaknesses didn't ruin The Plan, but there had been a softness there, too—not in their words, or even their tone, but in their sidelong glances, and their self conscious fumbling as they had wiped at the blood.

Envy  _hated_  pain. Kimblee knew this from their time together during the war, despite the fact that Envy had never voiced anything which even remotely hinted at it being true; it had just been obvious from the way they had avoided the worst of the combat zones until they were sure that they could just enjoy the killing without fear of resistors sneaking up from behind, and from the way they would screech and wail in hatred whenever they were severely wounded, to disguise the small tears which gathered in the corners of their eyes, and which they though Kimblee hadn't seen. At first, after this realisation, Kimblee had been bothered by it: what sort of immortal would still hide from physical pain when it had no bearing on their wellbeing? He had wondered if maybe they weren't as powerful as he had initially hoped, or perhaps, worse, they still possessed human weaknesses, such as an aversion to pain, despite it being completely unnecessary. In the end, though, he simply settled on it being a quirk of Envy's, and by that time, they had won his respect and admiration so many times that he wasn't interested in giving it anymore thought.

So it was obvious to Kimblee, that in taking that bullet, Envy had made a great sacrifice, but whether for The Plan (as they had made out) or… something else, Kimblee was unable to conclusively say.

Lost in his endless thoughts, Kimblee meandered slowly through the tunnels, pausing only to check for disturbances on the dusty floor whenever the path split. His palm stung where Edward had managed to slice it open earlier, and he finally became aware of small drops of blood rolling slowly down his fingers and dripping onto the floor. He was sure he wasn't being followed, but there was no need to take unnecessary chances by marking out his path with blood. He raised his hand and flicked his tongue across the wound, taking satisfaction in the metallic taste; it was just another small enjoyment of his which he was used to hiding for the sake of appearing mentally stable. It was ironic that he was actually a lot more stable than most people he knew, but because his views, and interests, differed so widely from the general population, it was far easier for people to label him as 'insane,' rather than accept a difference of opinion. He had never had to hide his nature around Envy, though…

Kimblee stopped short, suddenly aware that the dirt floor he was treading on looked as if it hadn't been walked on in years. He bit back his frustration that, once again, he had allowed himself to be so absorbed by his own thoughts that he had completely lost track of his surroundings.

He began to turn back, but a large, open doorway, marked by a huge red cross, caught his attention. It was probably nothing, but it  _could_ be something, and that made it worth investigating, seeing as he was here anyway.

He pulled on the heavy door and it swung open with a shudder and a hideous creak of something which hadn't been moved in a long time. It was looking less and less likely that there would be anything of interest down there, but Kimblee proceeded anyway.

It was darker down here, if that were possible, and his lantern cast the smallest of glows as he moved carefully down the narrow stairs. He emerged into a larger tunnel, scattered with an assortment of abandoned mining equipment. An old set of tracks ran down the centre of the tunnel, although they were so spotted with rust that Kimblee doubted they still saw frequent use.

He held the lantern up higher, to try and extend his visibility, but the shadows seemed to be defying him. Kimblee knew the senselessness of thinking like that, but it was true, nonetheless… it was almost as if there was someone - or some _thing_ else down here, with him.

_~ Ah, there you are, Kimblee, ~_  a disembodied voice sounded around him.

Kimblee tensed ever-so-slightly, but made an effort to stand his ground—it would do him no favours to show weakness here.

_~ It's a pleasure to finally meet you. I've heard a lot about you. I'm Pride. ~_

Kimblee's eyes widened — _this_ was Envy's oldest brother? What even was  _this?_ It was as fascinating to him as it was confusing. He wanted to look around frantically, to search for the owner of the voice, but that would clue Pride in on his ignorance, and besides, if working with Envy had taught him anything, it was that matters involving the Homunculi were rarely that simple. Instead, he fought to keep his expression neutral. Envy seldom spoke about Pride, so his knowledge on the first Homunculus was sorely lacking; the smartest course of action here was to let Pride lead the conversation, and observe as much as possible to determine what was going on here.

"Hello, Pride. I wasn't expecting to meet you down here," he said, feigning nonchalance.

_~ No, I suppose you weren't. I, on the other hand, was planning on it. ~_

"Oh?"

_~ How is your progress hunting Scar and Doctor Marcoh? ~_ Pride asked, ignoring Kimblee's interest in his last comment.

"I'm on their trail now, actually."

_~ Hmm, it seems to be taking quite a while, don't you think? ~_

Kimblee frowned. "I suppose it's been longer than I had hoped," he agreed, unsure whether Pride was insulting him or simply stating fact.

_~ Well forget about them, at least for now. I have another job for you. ~_

"Another job?"

_~ Yes. Sloth's tunnel is nearing completion, and we need to be ready for it. You need to carve the Blood Seal at Briggs. ~_  Pride spoke imperiously; even if Envy hadn't let slip that he was the eldest, Kimblee thought he would still have been able to tell by the manner in which Pride spoke to him. He was clearly used to getting his own way—Kimblee would hate to disappoint him.

"Ah, well, with all due respect, Pride, Envy tasked me with finding Doctor Marcoh. I was under the impression that he is quite important?"

Kimblee thought he heard Pride snicker, it was an eerie sound to hear in that child-like, yet haunting voice.  _~ Try not to pay too much attention to Envy. They can be… excitable, and they don't necessarily act in the best interests of our Father's plan. ~_

Interesting. Was this just simple sibling rivalry? Kimblee sincerely hoped that these creatures were above such things, but Envy could be just as petty as a lot of humans he had met, so maybe Pride could be as well. Either way, it was disturbing, because Kimblee had been following Envy almost blindly, he realised, and he could offer no justification to Pride as to why he should continue to search for Scar and Marcoh.

"I see," was all he chose to say.

_~ The Blood Seal is what's important, ~_ Pride continued.  _~ You'd do well to forget about Envy. They've spent a lot of time up here, with you… too much, maybe. ~_

What was that? Was is a warning? And why? Kimblee hadn't kept Envy here—Wrath had.

So why did it feel as if he was missing something?

"You should take that up with Wrath, surely?"

_~ Wrath? ~_ Pride asked.

"Yes, Wrath sent Envy up here to… " Kimblee trailed off, unsure why exactly Envy  _had_ been sent up. He knew that Envy liked to wind him up by saying it was to keep an eye on him; but Kimblee had met Wrath, and he was more strategic than to waste Envy's time with a job he knew Kimblee was more than capable of completing on his own.

_~ To…? ~_ Pride mocked.  _~ I'm not sure what Envy told you, but I can assure you that this was most definitely not where they were told to be. ~_ He sounded amused, as if he was in on a joke Kimblee wasn't. Kimblee opened his mouth to speak, but what was the correct response? Kimblee felt as though, in the space of thirty seconds, he had suddenly found out that his whole reason for being here was a lie.

"So Doctor Marcoh  _isn't_ important?"

_~ Mmm, ~_ Pride considered,  _~ He was, but not much, and not now. ~_

"And Scar?" Kimblee pushed, trying to obtain as much information from Pride as possible.

_~ An annoyance. Nothing more. ~_

"Why was I released from prison, then?"

_~ Envy and Wrath discussed that. Frankly, you were never of enough interest to me to pay attention. ~_

It was a lot for Kimblee to take in, and he sensed that Pride was rapidly losing interest in answering his questions. "Right. I'll see to the Blood Seal, then."

_~ Good. Oh, and Kimblee? Don't ask about Envy again. They aren't coming back. ~_

Kimblee was so taken aback by Pride's parting comment that he almost didn't notice the deep shadows of the tunnel seeming to recede, and the light from his lantern suddenly reaching further than it had done before. So Pride  _was_ the shadows? He supposed he shouldn't be surprised, at this point, but he was. It seemed that Envy's siblings were all equally as interesting as they were, and Pride, certainly, seemed worthy of Kimblee's respect. Although he couldn't deny that the idea of Pride becoming his main contact was troublesome; Pride was just… less personable than Envy was. And why wasn't Envy coming back? How could Pride know that? Had something happened?

Kimblee made his way back up the steep steps, considering his options on how to proceed. The way he saw it, obeying Pride's order to concentrate on the Seal seemed like the smartest course of action… but discarding the task Envy had requested of him felt wrong, somehow. As if he was being disloyal to them.

No, that was silly; Pride, Envy, Wrath, they were all on the same side, when it came down to it. Showing loyalty to Pride couldn't imply disloyalty to Envy—and since when had he cared about loyalty? He was 'loyal' only to the point that it suited his own agenda. As long as the Homunculi allowed him the freedom to use his alchemy to its fullest potential, they would have his loyalty. But if that were to change, well, Kimblee might think differently. It wasn't likely, though.

He supposed that he was too far committed to the Homunculi's plans to renege now, they'd probably kill him if he were to do so…

XXX

Kimblee found his way out of the mine in quick, purposeful strides. No more meandering— he had a new job, and with it, a new determination.

Pride had impressed Kimblee. He was smart, powerful and mysterious, all qualities Kimblee admired.

But he had never made Kimblee feel out of control, like Envy did.

He wondered about this, as he walked, because it invalidated his earlier theory that his preoccupation with thinking about Envy would be equally as strong with any of the Homunculi. Certainly, Pride was unusual, and interesting, in his own way, but Kimblee didn't really have any desire to analyse their interaction any further.

_Except… except what he said about Envy…_

Could it be true that they really weren't coming back? Kimblee wasn't sure, and that made him feel strangely unnerved.

Finally, the literal light at the end of the tunnel appeared. Although he was no closer to resolving his internal unrest. Kimblee took a deep breath of crisp mountain air, enjoying the refreshing quality after the hot, dry tunnels. Maybe it was for the best that Envy was gone now; he had been following their orders for far too long. Time on his own would be a good thing. He could focus better, alone, devote his full intelligence to the problem at hand… yes, this was a good thing.


	11. Envy Wonders

"Come in," Wrath's deep, gravelly voice sounded from the other side of the wooden door.

Envy looked down at their hands, wondering if they could delay the inevitable.

They hadn't quite worked out what 'the inevitable' entailed, yet, but they were sure they were in trouble. They were displeased that it had been Wrath who Father had sent up for this task —they were 125 years his senior. It was insulting. Father had probably known that when he'd made his decision, and that just made it even worse, as if Father was mocking them somehow.

"Is someone there?" Wrath called again.

Envy balled their fists and steeled themself for whatever was to come before opening the door and stepping in with one quick movement.

Wrath was sitting, as always, behind a desk; this one was smaller than his one in Central Command, but it was made of a rich, dark wood, and it was clearly meant to make a statement. It was just another reminder of his supposed superiority, and it grated on Envy's already frayed nerves.

"Ah, hello, Envy."

"Wrath," they greeted him curtly. No point in exchanging pleasantries. Envy was keen to get this over with.

"How have you been?"

"Fine," Envy said slowly, through gritted teeth.

"Oh, I was expecting you back in Central some days ago. We're on a tight schedule, you know?" Wrath seemed relaxed, his voice holding that false cheeriness he usually reserved for his  _human_ interactions. It was insulting, and worse, Envy knew that he was putting it on for the sole reason of making his point.

"I was waylaid. I had to make sure that things were going to plan up here."

"Hmm?" Wrath moved his head to one side and affected a concerned look. "Did something happen?"

"Not as such."

"But your presence here was necessary?" he pressed.

Envy had managed to keep Wrath's gaze so far, but at this comment they looked away shamefully.

"Father isn't too happy with you," Wrath continued, not even waiting for Envy's answer.

"I-I was helping Kimblee. We still need Doctor Marcoh, don't we, and he'd already messed up once."

"Forget Marcoh. I know he humiliated you when he escaped under your watch, but we have other options."

Wrath calling out Envy's disgrace in such a casual manner was nearly more than Envy could take, but still they managed to keep hold of their temper—they refused to give him the satisfaction.

"And as for  _helping Kimblee_ … we both know that isn't necessary. You said as much yourself when you petitioned me to sign his release papers."

He was right. Envy's whole case for freeing Kimblee has been based on the fact that he could act independently as an agent for the Homunculi, and ease their burden since Lust had… gone. Envy found themself wishing that they'd more adequately prepared for this meeting, because Wrath was asking difficult questions that Envy didn't know how to answer, even to themself…

"I'll ask one more time. Did. Something. Happen?"

Thoughts of Kimblee cascaded, uninvited, through Envy's mind: Kimblee lying in a hospital bed, the comforting feel of his heartbeat beneath their hand; Kimblee smiling with his hand wrapped around a steaming mug of black coffee; the look of confusion on his face as Envy unleashed a torrent of screaming abuse after he questioned their reason for being there; Kimblee as a small figure, far away, but close enough for the snipers, and who Envy had to protect at all costs…

Envy shook their head violently, as if the motion could dislodge their unwelcome thoughts. "No," they said, trying to sound more in control than they felt. "I stayed to make sure the situation was proceeding as planned. Maybe it was an error in judgement… nothing more."

"Very well—but I'm not sure Father will see it that way. He needs you back in Central to direct Gluttony. I wouldn't keep him waiting any longer, if I were you."

Envy nodded, eager to escape from Wrath's unspoken accusations.

"Good. Stay here tonight; I'll arrange transport back to Central for tomorrow. Now please leave me.  _Some_ of us have work to see to."

Envy ignored the implied slight and took off immediately. They fled through the corridors of Northern HQ and out into an empty courtyard; by the time they sat down on the white stone bench, their hands were trembling with barely contained fury.

How dare Wrath speak to them that way. How dare he reprimand them as if they were a troublesome child. He was their  _little brother_. He had no right.

The wind picked up slowly in the tiny courtyard, gusting through the pale leaves of the lone tree which stood in the centre. Envy hugged their arms tightly, torn between the desire to go back to the warmth of the indoors, or stay out here, in peaceful isolation.

They had much to consider, and despite a strong desire to put off thinking about anything and charge back inside to pick a fight with Wrath, Envy was having a rare moment of clarity.

They needed to sort themself out before returning to Father; they needed a story in place to disguise… whatever was going on with Kimblee, for his sake, as much as theirs. Father couldn't so much as even suspect… if he did, then Envy could only guess his reaction, but it looked a lot like what he had done to Greed.

So, Kimblee.

For once, Envy's mind seemed blank. Where did they even begin when it came to Kimblee…?

They had always got on, Envy could admit that much. Right from their first meeting in Ishval, Envy had known that Kimblee wasn't quite the same as the rest of his species. He was strong, sharp, self assured; he had been somewhat of an enigma to them, compared to the rest of the soldiers that Envy had had to interact with there. He was a breath of fresh air, a human as close to a Homunculus as Envy had ever met, and the way he hung on their every word, and looked at them with barely disguised reverence—it had been intoxicating to Envy. For once,  _they_ had been the special one, the powerful one, the one who held all the cards.

Before him, all that Envy had had in the way of intelligent conversation was with their siblings, and with them, insults and torment were never far away. It wasn't like that with Kimblee; he actually  _respected_ them. They had quickly taken to spending time with him, whiling away those cool, quiet nights in the desert, together.

It had been there, even then. These feelings of… attachment. But blood had flown like rivers, and death and excitement had been everywhere, so it was no wonder that Envy hadn't been able to recognise what was happening, until it was too late.

_Is it even possible…?_ they wondered. Was a Homunculus even capable of feeling… this?  _Maybe… maybe…_

Envy felt physically sick. Had they just… had they just admitted that they cared about a  _human_? What did they do with this knowledge; where could they possibly go from here?

Maybe they deserved Father's punishment—after all, they had failed as a Homunculus; they had a horrible, disgusting weakness, and they were acting no better than the humans they despised so much.

Envy's eyes stung as they blinked back unshed tears of shame. Rational thoughts were quickly escaping them, as they descended deeper into their pit of self-loathing and despair

XXX

The sun dipped beneath the roof of Northern HQ, staining the evening sky a deep purple, with accents of soft coral. Envy gazed up, trying to take comfort in the solidarity of the sunset; when everything around them felt to be in turmoil, at least there were always constants like this to rely on.

A shiver tore through them—it really was too cold to remain outside now, despite the tranquility of the little courtyard. Envy stood slowly, feeling an unnerving disassociation with their listless movements. They were still no closer to understanding their unwanted feelings, and even further from any form of acceptance; their option, their  _only_ option, was to forget. They would not tell Father, they would not tell Wrath or Pride. No one would know, and it would be like they didn't exist.

It wasn't a great plan. But it was something, and as long as Envy committed, there was no reason for anything to change.

They walked back through the corridors of the command centre, trying to appear casual. They knew that they had acted dramatically, earlier, after speaking with Wrath, so it was even more important to seem relaxed now, just in case.

Not really being familiar with Northern HQ, Envy fell in step behind a group of soldiers they hoped would lead them to food. It had been days, at least, since they had last stopped for long enough to think about eating, and even a homunculus needed to eat occasionally. A warm meal and a hot shower sounded like the best thing in the world to Envy, just then; it was a chance to regroup, recover their strength, and cleanse off the events of the past few days.

As they followed the small group of men around a corner, Envy spotted a familiar figure walking towards them. It was a small boy dressed in a neat little shirt and waistcoat ensemble, with an innocent smile on his face

Selim Bradley.

Envy's eyes widened with surprise. Of course, they should have expected Pride would be here too; it made sense that he would travel with Wrath under this guise as a means of tracking Sloth's progress.

It was too late to backtrack. Selim had fixed Envy with a piercing stare and flashed his perfect smile in their direction.

"Oh, hello Envy," he greeted happily.

Interacting with Selim was, in some ways, even worse than interacting with Pride. At least Pride didn't pretend to be something he wasn't—but Selim… Selim was all smiles and virtue, and the darkness, which Envy knew existed within, was hidden inside his sweet words and kind eyes. It was chilling.

Envy tried not to let discomfort show on their face. "Hi there, Selim." They bent down to be on eye level with him, ruffling his hair condescendingly and taking an irrational enjoyment in the act.

Selim frowned. "Please don't," he sighed.

Envy cocked their head to one side and mimicked Selim's innocent smile. "Just keeping in character."

"Did you speak with Father yet?"

Why did Pride insist on speaking like that when there was no one else within earshot? Envy wondered if he was doing it on purpose to get under their skin, or whether his commitment to Selim Bradley was just that strong. Either way, it was creepy.

"Yes. I'm going back to Central tomorrow."

"Good, Father always makes such good decisions," Selim beamed.

"Yesterday, in the tunnels…" Envy struggled for how exactly to make their point.

"Oh, don't worry Envy. It's forgotten," he said sweetly. "But you really should be more careful hanging round with people like that, Father doesn't suspect anything, but I see a bit more than he does."

Envy felt their mouth go dry; what was Pride trying to allude to? "And what is it that you  _think_  you've seen?"

Selim flashed his trademark smile. "It doesn't matter, I'm sure it was nothing," he paused, and a shadow fell over his face. "Father really loves Mother, you know. Even someone as strong as the Fuhrer of Amestris can be in love. Mother says I'm too young to understand, but I think it's..." Selim scrunched up his nose in a childish gesture of disgust.

He didn't say any more, he didn't have to. In his own way, through the disguise of his child alter-ego, Pride was telling Envy that he knew why they had spend so much time hanging around the North with… with—

"Well, it was good to see you! I hope I can see you again once Father takes me back to Central." With another sickly smile, Selim sidestepped Envy and continued down the corridor.

Envy stayed, frozen, in their crouch. Did Pride know what they had been concealing so hard…? No, surely not.  _They_ didn't even fully know how they felt, so how could he?

Maybe they had misunderstood. Selim was always acting weird, pretending to be a human child; maybe his story about Wrath meant something else.  _Maybe…_ Envy's thoughts wildly searched for an explanation which made sense, but nothing came to them.

_He knew… he knew…_

XXX

Envy's eyes flickered open, and they groaned against the harsh sunlight spilling onto their small room in Central Command. They rolled over, drawing the blankets over their face and clinging to the last vestiges of peace before the day began.

Their sleep had been dreamless and unsatisfying, as it had been every night since they had returned to Central; but if not fully refreshed, Envy still felt better. They didn't usually sleep every night, but the incidents up in the Briggs mountains had drained a lot of their energy, and it had taken until now for the deep ache in their muscles to begin to recede, and for the fog in their head to feel as if it was clearing.

Today would be better.

It had been nine days since they had returned to Central, and finally, things were starting to feel normal again.

Envy had busied themself overseeing a number of small projects, and keeping tabs on Gluttony, as Lust once did. Father, of course, had been far too busy with preparations for the Promised Day to even bother to ask Envy what had kept them up North for so long. That was good, clearly whatever Pride knew, or suspected, he was keeping it to himself. It would only disrupt the plan if he said something, no matter which way the events played out, so it made sense for him to stay quiet; and once it was all over, well, there would  _be_ no Kimblee to worry about… Envy stopped their train of thought dead as they felt a flicker of panic. No good would come of thinking about that particular scenario… but besides, wouldn't it just be easier that way?

They flipped over onto their back, suddenly uncomfortable. They should really be getting up now anyway. Wrath was getting back from the North today, and would be waiting for them.

After a few more seconds of putting off the unavoidable task, Envy swung their legs over the side of the bed and stood up, throwing their arms out in a careless stretch and enjoying the warmth of the sun now pouring in through the window. That was definitely not something they missed about their time up North, in that hellish frozen excuse for a region.

Envy briefly entertained the thought of letting Drachma take it, after the Promised Day when the homunculi would rule Amestris; it was a horrible place, and they had no interest in controlling it. Although, at some point, Envy assumed they'd take Drachma too, so it would still end up belonging to them eventually…

They wondered about that a little more as they headed off in search of Wrath. What  _was_ the plan after the Promised Day? They were all so focused on making sure everything was set up properly that they'd never really stopped to think about what came next; at least, Envy hadn't. Lust might have… she was always thinking, calculating—yes, she would definitely have had an idea of what they would do, after. But Lust wasn't here to ask, now.

Envy pushed open the door to Wrath's office, purposely not knocking in the hopes that it would make a point that they were back in control now, and they didn't answer to him. As it turned out though, Wrath wasn't there to see their poor attempt at a power move.

They hopped up onto Wrath's desk, disturbing his neatly stacked paperwork with vindictive glee. Where was he, anyway? He had been the one to schedule their early morning meeting for his first day back—not that Envy was in any hurry for it.

They fidgeted impatiently, and picked up random pieces of paper with disinterest to try and occupy their thoughts. It felt safer that way; left to their own devices they always seemed to manage to circle back to—

_Ring._

It was lucky that no one was around to see Envy's startled and unceremonious jolt, because they might have had to kill them.

_Ring._

Should they answer it? It was going directly through to Wrath's office, so that made it important—right? It would be nice to be the one to find out information first, for once.

_Ring._

Mind made up, Envy reached out their slender finders and lifted the phone up to their ear.

"Yes?"

"Fuhrer Bradley, is that you?" came a nervous, male-sounding voice.

"I can speak on behalf of him."

"O-okay." He sounded tense. "I have some information on Doctor Marcoh."

Envy tried not to let their excitement show too much in their voice. "And what's that?"

"He—I know where he is."

"... Yes?"

"It-it's Zampano, by the way." That was surprising; wasn't he one of Kimblee's chimeras?

"Well, Zampano, you've done the right thing by calling me. Is Kimblee there with you?" The words tumbled out before Envy could stop them, but now they had been said it would be awkward to retract them, and was there really anything so wrong with hearing his voice on the other end of the phone?

"Uh. No. He, uh, he's not here. Right now."

Envy wasn't disappointed. They were relieved and nothing more.

"Fine. What can you tell me about Marcoh?"

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters.


End file.
